Crystal Vision
by Ultramatt17
Summary: During Harry Potter's fifth year, a trio of shinigami are sent to investigate reports of a fragmented soul. Can they discover the truth? Or will their efforts be in vain?
1. Chapter 1

**Bleach/Harry Potter: Crystal Vision**

_Author's Note: I do not own _Bleach_ or _Harry Potter._ If I did, I'd keep all my money in a giant safe and go swimming in it every day. I do, however, own Fujita Tetsunosuke, but that ingrate hasn't netted me a dime._

Chapter 1

Byakuya had always enjoyed the dawn. It was a special time, when the world around him was in flux. The stars and the creatures of the night began their slumber, while their daylight replacements took the reigns. Out on the grounds, hundreds of flowers opened their buds to greet the light. Rare was the day that Kuchiki Byakuya did not greet the sunrise, much to the consternation of many within his division. How could he be up and giving orders before they had even had their first cup of coffee?

If there was one thing about the dawn that Byakuya disliked, it was that the Soutaichou often chose that time to have his daily captain's meetings. While some of the other captains resented being woken up so early—Zaraki and Kyouraku were notorious for nodding off during such meetings—Byakuya simply wished that could see the sunrise. This morning's meeting had denied him what had promised to be a truly glorious summer dawn.

The ten remaining captains had gathered in Captain-General Yamamoto's chambers for what the Soutaichou had dubbed a meeting of "utmost importance." Of course, it was not unusual for the Soutaichou to label even the most mundane of meetings as "important." Still, Byakuya kept his expression neutral, so that his fellow captains might follow his example. A quick scan of the room, however, revealed that his attempt was in vain. While Unohana, Komamura, and Ukitake wore similar expressions, the others were clearly unhappy to be there. Hitsugaya had put on a serious air, but it was obvious from the dark circles under his eyes that he was exhausted. No doubt the boy had been up all night completing paperwork left by his incredibly lazy fukutaichou.

While Hitsugaya undoubtedly wished he were still in bed, at least he had the courtesy to _try_ to stay awake. Kyouraku, meanwhile, had crossed his arms and tilted his straw hat over his eyes. If not for the sound of light snoring, one would almost believe that he was deep in thought. Zaraki, being nothing if not brutally honest, wore a deep scowl. His sour mood did not improve when he noticed that Soi Fon and Kurotsuchi had taken up positions to the Soutaichou's left at the front of the room.

"Great, the old man calls us in before dawn for a friggin' physics lecture," the giant captain of the 11th Division muttered none-too-softly. From the sound of his voice, Byakuya was positive the man had a hangover. Knowing Zaraki, he might even still be drunk from the night before. Byakuya closed his eyes and almost imperceptibly shook his head. It was bad enough for a captain to engage in such disreputable behavior, but it was even worse for a captain to take out his frustrations on his men. While captains meetings almost always bored Zaraki, any meeting that featured a briefing from Kurotsuchi would surely have him nearly comatose. If there was anything more dangerous than an angry Zaraki Kenpachi, it was a bored Zaraki Kenpachi. If he were a gambling man, Byakuya would bet that anywhere from one to two dozen 11th Division members would find themselves in the relief station before Zaraki had worked the boredom out of his system.

"Let us begin," Yamamoto's voice boomed across the room. "I have gathered you here this morning to discuss a matter that may have dire implications for the World of the Living. Soi Fon-taichou, if you will?" The captain of the 2nd Division stepped forward.

"The matter began three years ago, when our Division began receiving reports of a ghost in the outer districts."

"Ghost?" Zaraki interrupted. "Isn't _everyone_ in Soul Society a ghost?" Soi Fon did not even spare him a glance.

"That was our original reaction as well, Zaraki-taichou. However, the reports continued to pour in. What is more, the being that the reports described was not like any other soul in the Soul Society. The villagers described a white, ethereal creature that seemed compelled to attack children. We were concerned that the villagers might be describing a new kind of Hollow, so one week ago I sent a team to investigate. After several days of searching, my team located the creature. What they found was not a Hollow. What they found was the soul of a teenaged boy—a transparent teenager _with a chain protruding from his chest_."

Byakuya's eyes snapped open. How could a soul be transparent? And more importantly, how could a soul have entered Soul Society with its Chain of Fate still attached? His violet eyes scanned the room, and he imagined that the other captains were having similar thoughts as well. Even Kyouraku had stopped his snoring and had given Soi Fon his full attention.

"Our initial efforts to capture the apparition proved unsuccessful. Physical contact proved impossible, as the boy would simply pass through any attacker. Even a zanpakutou could not touch him. Eventually, we had to resort to kidou in order to apprehend the soul and bring it in for questioning." At this point, Kurotsuchi Mayuri stepped forward. With a wave of his hand, a holographic image of the ghost boy appeared.

"This is the soul in question," he intoned, the expression on his grotesque face unreadable. The soul was clearly that of a Caucasian human boy, no more than seventeen years old. He was dressed in what appeared to be some sort of school uniform, though over the uniform was a strange black robe with a snake-shaped badge. Prominently protruding from his chest was a large metal chain. The boy was in some sort of stasis field, thrashing about and screaming gibberish.

"As you can see," Mayuri continued, seemingly unperturbed by the boy's manic screams, "extracting information from this soul has proven very difficult. Whether due to his years of isolation or his journey through the Dongai Pass, the boy's sanity has shattered. However, even if he were capable of reasoned conversation, he would not be able to tell us everything that he knows. You see, this boy is not a complete soul. Rather, he is a fragment—a piece or a larger whole."

"A fragmented soul?" Ukitake asked, his already pale face aghast. "How is that even possible?"

"Magic," the 12th Division Captain replied flatly. Seeing the look of confusion on Ukitake's face, Mayuri continued. "Though we have had great difficulty in interrogating the boy, his insane ramblings have yielded some fruit. While we have not been able to ascertain the meanings of some of the words he says—the terms 'mudblood' and 'Voldemort' are particularly perplexing—we have been able to identify one word that he uses quite frequently: 'Hogwarts.' After doing some research, I have learned that Hogwarts is the name of a school—one designed for children who possess magical abilities. According to our records, magical humans—or 'wizards' as they refer to themselves—are a group that has completely isolated themselves from the rest of human society.

"Soul Society's records on wizards are sketchy at best. All that we really know about their society is that has always existed on the fringes of human civilization. Then, approximately three hundred years ago, they went into full seclusion. After that, Soul Society has little information. We do know that Urahara Kisuke had some contact with a few known wizards, but he kept very few notes on the subject."

"So why would this kid keep rambling on about his school?" Kyouraku chimed in.

"We believe that that is where he died," Mayuri replied. "From what we have been able to piece together, this boy was killed there three years ago by someone named 'Harry Potter.' Whatever magic this Harry Potter used, it seems to have fragmented the subject's soul."

"Clearly, these wizards have developed a form of magic that breaks the laws of the heavens," Yamamoto brought his cane down with final authority. "Therefore, we must intervene before the situation gets out of control. I fear that if we do not, we may see more and more fragmented souls like this poor lad."

Byakuya glanced back at the hologram. The boy was still writhing about and struggling against the stasis field. That anyone could do something so abominable to another human being was simply incomprehensible. To break such a sacred law…

"Kuchiki-taichou!" Yamamoto's voice brought Byakuya back to the present. "I am ordering you to take two subordinates from outside the captain class and infiltrate this Hogwarts School and discover as much as you can about this phenomenon."

"Understood, Soutaichou. What is to be my cover?"

"You are to pose as a teacher, while your subordinates will pose as students. That way you can observe both the faculty and the student body."

"And what subject am I to teach?"

"You will be teaching the students kidou."

"Kidou, sir?"

"Yes," Mayuri interjected. "Though more study is needed, our preliminary tests indicate that the magic these humans use is not unlike kidou in its basic principles. If our hypothesis is correct, then at least some human wizards should be able to learn rudimentary kidou. Likewise, a shinigami capable of kidou should perform mortal magic with little trouble."

"Understood, Soutaichou," Byakuya said with a bow. "I will begin my preparations at once."

"Very well. Kurotsuchi-taichou will forward all of his records on wizard matters within the hour. I expect you to select your two subordinates by the end of the day. There will be a senkaimon for you to the World of the Living in three days. Make sure that your preparations are complete by then. Dismissed!" With a crack of the old man's cane, the meeting was over. Byakuya made his way to the exit, his mind already mulling over possible lessons and choices of subordinates. Truth be told, he already had one candidate firmly in mind…

"Kuchiki-taichou." Byakuya turned and saw Ukitake approaching. "Should I have Rukia return from the World of the Living?" the elder captain asked with a smile. Byakuya nodded. Ukitake knew him well.

"Rukia is well-versed in kidou, which will prove useful if I am to attempt to teach the subject to mortal children."

Ukitake arched a brow at that and gave a light chuckle. "Of course, Kuchiki-taichou. I'm sure your younger sister will make an excellent teaching assistant." Byakuya decided to ignore the way Ukitake had emphasized the word "sister." The older captain was clearly implying that Byakuya just wanted to spend more time with Rukia. He was not wrong, but Byakuya was correct about Rukia's qualifications. He could not think of anyone else that he would want with him on such a mission.

And that was a very big problem.

XXXXX

"I still don't understand why I can't come along on this mission."

"Do you want me to make a list for you?"

"Yeah, actually, I do. Not that you could actually make one."

"Oh really?"

"Yeah! Give me one good reason why I couldn't come along."

"For one, you'd stick out like a sore thumb."

"That's ridiculous."

"You have a pineapple head that's covered in tattoos!"

"So? Lots of humans have tattoos."

"And minors aren't allowed to get tattoos. We're going undercover in a _school_, remember?"

"Well, I can always get a new gigai…"

"Secondly, Nii-sama is going to be teaching kidou. I'm pretty sure you actually have to be able to _perform_ kidou before they let you into a kidou class."

"What are you trying to say, exactly?"

"Third, you have the deductive reasoning skills of a rock. You'd get flunked out before the end of the first week."

"What the hell is that supposed to mean?"

Byakuya sighed. Rukia and Renji had been having this conversation for nearly an hour, and by now they were just going in circles. The three of them had gathered in his office to make preparations for this new mission. While Byakuya had busied himself with reviewing the documents Kurotsuchi had sent over, his sister and his fukutaichou had been reviewing third members for the operation. After forty-five minutes, Byakuya had finished skimming Hogwarts: A History and had moved on to a tome on potions. Renji and Rukia, however, were no closer to finding a suitable shinigami than they were when they started.

In their defense, the requirements were rather restrictive. The shinigami would have to pass for the age group, which excluded anyone who could not pass for a middle- or high school student. That meant that Renji, Matsumoto, and most of the other vice-captains were out. Had Hogwarts been a nursery school, then Yachiru could have been a possibility, but she would never have gone without Zaraki. Few things disturbed Byakuya as much as the thought of Zaraki Kenpachi in an elementary school. Secondly, the shinigami would have to be very good at kidou. Again, this eliminated all but a few choices. Hitsugaya-taichou would have been a natural choice, but Yamamoto could not afford to send more than one captain away on such a long-term mission. Lastly, the shinigami would have to be able to perform this mission without it hindering the function of the Gotei 13. This eliminated the Kotetsu sisters, as they were both needed to help run their respective divisions. The last possibility was Himamori Momo, but she was still recovering from the wound Aizen had given her the day he fled Soul Society.

To put things bluntly, they were stuck.

"What about Ichigo?" Byakuya glanced up at Rukia, his expression blank. She looked back at him, jaw set and eyes unblinking. She was serious.

"No way," was Renji's reply. "If my kidou isn't good enough to warrant a spot on this mission, then there's no way that Strawberry can come along. Have any of us ever actually seen him cast a spell before?"

For once, Byakuya agreed with Renji. As frustratingly powerful as the Kurosaki boy was, he had yet to demonstrate any sort of kidou ability. Besides, there was no way that he was going to put up with Kurosaki's informal attitude for nine months. He doubted that Kurosaki would survive the first month.

With a shake of his head, Byakuya returned to his reading while Renji and Rukia debated the merits of Kurosaki's friends. The 6th Division Captain was admittedly impressed by what these wizards could do with their potions. There were love potions, healing potions, luck potions, and even a potion that allowed a person to breathe underwater—and he hadn't even finished reading through the potions that started with the letter P.

One such potion, however, gave him pause. "_Pollyjuice Potion,"_ it read. "This potion allows the imbiber to duplicate the appearance of another person. This is no mere illusion, as the user's body is temporarily transformed into an exact copy of the chosen subject for a limited amount of time. Use of this potion is restricted, as the imposter can only be detected by magical means." Byakuya read the passage again, and then a third time. This potion raised a very serious problem. If wizards could completely alter their appearance, there was also a chance that they might also be able to alter their reiatsu. He needed a contingency, and he had a hunch on who could provide one.

Byakuya closed the book with authority. Without a word, he rose from his seat and made his way out the door. Rukia and Renji continued their squabbling for a moment, but he soon sensed that they were following. The 6th Division Captain moved silently through the division grounds and entered the front office.

Chaos greeted him. Shinigami from his division bustled everywhere, all of them diligently carrying out their assigned tasks. Those that were not completing paperwork were busy taking said paperwork to its proper destination. Amid the bustle, a commotion was brewing. A stack of papers was making its way through the office, much to the amusement of several other shinigami. A pair of legs dressed in standard shinigami hakama could be seen beneath the stack, though there was no way that the owner of those legs could be much more than four feet tall. The stack, meanwhile had reached three feet in its own right, and was growing taller as it passed each desk.

"Hey Fujita, since you're up, you can run this over to the 10th Division," sniggered a particularly smug shinigami.

"I-I'd like to, sir, but I…" came a high quivering voice from behind the papers. Before the voice could finish its sentence, the man had dumped a very thick folder on top of the already precarious stack of reports. The sudden additional weight was too much, and the stack instantly collapsed on top of its startled bearer. Pages flew in every direction, and within seconds the only remnants of the stack was a misshapen pile of paper with a pair of small sandals poking out from underneath.

Byakuya watched silently as the room exploded into laughter. Behind him, he could sense Renji's simmering anger that threatened to boil over. He heard Rukia give a slight gasp, but neither made any move—they were waiting for his reaction. For his part, Byakuya kept his emotions behind the neutral mask on his face. The only hint of a reaction was the narrowed, deadly glare he had leveled upon the members of his division.

The first to notice his presence was the smug-looking shinigami who had added the final folder. As soon as his gaze met Byakuya's, the man's face drained of all color. "Ku-Kuchiki-taichou," he stammered, his skin clammy with a cold sweat. At the mention of Byakuya's name, all movement in the office came to a standstill. The only sound was the muffled groaning of the shinigami trapped under the pile of reports.

"GOOD MORNING TAICHOU!" the assembled shinigami shouted in unison. The men and women of Byakuya's division bowed as one, waiting for him to respond. He did not. He let them stew for a moment while the stack-bearer emerged.

"Ow," he groaned as he sat up. "I think my paper cuts have paper cuts." The beleaguered shinigami was a boy that looked to be the same age as Hitsugaya. He was thin and his shinigami uniform hung from his fragile frame so loosely that Byakuya thought he might vanish. Atop his little head was a mop of wavy brown hair that almost completely obscured his eyes. Byakuya was suddenly reminded of one of Kurosaki's ryouka friends—Sado, if he was not mistaken—though the ryouka had been the physical opposite of this pale-skinned child.

The boy slowly sat up, pushing papers aside as he rose. He had yet to notice that the room had gone silent, and his quiet mutterings could be heard across the front office. Though he spoke too quickly and quietly to follow everything he said, it almost seemed to Byakuya's ears that the boy was chastising himself for falling down. After a few moments, the boy had freed himself from the pile of reports and bent over to start reorganizing everything. It was then that the boy noticed the silence and looked up with one blue, unobstructed eye into the face of his captain.

The silence was deafening as boy and captain stared at one another. The boy's pale skin had gone sheet-white, and he was shaking with increasing intensity. "T-t-ta…t-tai…t-taichou…" his voice came in a hybrid of stuttering and sobs. "PLEASE FORGIVE ME!" he shouted suddenly. With near-shunpo swiftness, the boy had thrown himself on his knees and bowed so low that his forehead had struck the floor with an audible crack. "I have created a terrible mess," he continued through broken sobs. Though Byakuya could not see the boy's eyes, he was positive that they were flooding with tears. "I will accept any punishment that you deem worthy of my failure."

Byakuya said nothing for a moment. The boy continued to quiver on his knees before him, while the rest of the division waited anxiously for him to give them some kind of order. Finally, he spoke to the boy: "Fujita Tetsunosuke." At the sound of his name, the boy froze, though his breathing remained audibly shaky. "Come with me," Byakuya continued. "I have an assignment for you."

The boy's head shot up, and he stared up at Byakuya with one red, watery eye. His mouth opened and closed several times, as if he were trying to speak but could not find the words. Finally, he swallowed hard and replied: "Yes, Taichou." With a nod, Byakuya turned back to his office. At the sound of rustling papers, he stopped but did not turn.

"Leave them," he said firmly. He could almost hear the look of confusion on the boy's face. "Abarai-fukutaichou," he said to Renji. "The men seem to have made a mess of the front office. Make sure that it is cleaned, and that all the scattered paperwork is re-filed. In triplicate. If there are any that find this unfair, then they are more than free to visit the 11th Division. Zaraki-taichou seemed restless at today's Captains' Meeting, and I'm sure he would appreciate a chance to wind down."

"As you wish, Taichou," the tattooed man replied. Renji made no effort to hide his sneer as he turned to the rest of the division. "Alright you maggots! You heard the captain! Get to work!"

Chaos erupted once again as the members of the 6th Division worked frantically to recover all the lost reports from the floor. Byakuya kept his expression neutral as he looked back down at the boy. Fujita had come up along side him and was now looking back at the scene playing out behind them. He held his arms close to his chest, his tiny hands clenching and unclenching. He shifted his weight back and forth, as if fighting the urge to aid in the cleanup. His hunched shoulders made it seem as if his tiny frame were collapsing under the weight of his own clothing. The boy hadn't been this sickly-looking when he had joined the division two months ago, had he?

"Come, Fujita," the boy started at the sound of Byakuya's voice. "We have much to do." With one fluid motion, Byakuya made his way down the halls towards his office, with Rukia at his side. A moment later, Fujita Tetsunosuke spared one last nervous glance before following after his captain.


	2. Chapter 2

**Bleach/Harry Potter: Crystal Vision**

_Author's Note: I do not own Bleach or Harry Potter. If I did, I'd use all that money to build my own Transformer. I would call him Squishy, and he would be mine. He would be my Squishy. I do, however, own Fujita Tetsunosuke, but that ingrate hasn't netted me a dime._

_Also, thanks for the reviews and alerts. It's amazing how much that does to motivate a guy._

Chapter 2

Byakuya stared out of the second-story window with a frown. The city below him threatened to sap everything he enjoyed about the time just before the dawn. There were no birds singing, or flowers blooming, or the gentle splashing of stirring koi. The only sound was the honking of cars and the muttering of the humans who had begrudgingly stepped outside their dwellings at this early hour. What little breeze there was carried not the scent of trees but rather the foul stench of exhaust. Worst of all, the glut of human buildings completely obstructed the horizon. The day would be minutes old before he caught his first glimpse of the sun. How any human could stand to live in a city like London was a mystery.

His room here at "The Leaky Cauldron" at least had some old-fashioned sensibilities. The large bureau and somewhat battered desk had an air of quaintness about them, and it had been decades since he had laid eyes on a four-post bed. The bed itself had been remarkably soft, but he had grown very accustomed to his futon. In one corner was a full-length mirror that reflected his new gigai. Despite the early hour, he was already dressed in the type of clothing he imagined a human teacher would adopt—khaki slacks and a black button-up with a tie that bore the insignia of the 6th Division. Rukia had described it as "business casual," whatever that meant. It still felt somewhat odd to be without his kenseikan headdress, but seeing as how every other witch and wizard they had seen when they checked in last night had been wearing a hat of some kind, he might start incorporating it into his outfit. He wouldn't want to stand out too much, after all.

At last the dawn came, and with it a familiar reiatsu just outside his door. "Enter," he said just loud enough for his voice to carry. He heard a slight gasp from the other side; he had probably spoken just as the other person was about to knock. The door creaked open slowly, and a tiny figure stepped in as quietly as possible. "Tetsunosuke," Byakuya said as he turned to the boy. "What is it that you need?"

The boy flinched at the question, and he quickly averted his eyes to the floor. He stood there for a moment, wringing his hands. The boy was fully dressed, Byakuya noticed. Even the simple jeans and blue t-shirt he wore seemed at least two sizes too big for him. His lips moved nearly imperceptibly, but no sound emerged. With his left hand, the boy brushed a lock of wavy brown hair over his eyes. Only then did he speak.

"I-I was just checking to see if you wanted me to fetch anything for you."

"No, I do not require anything at the moment," Byakuya replied evenly. The boy looked crestfallen. After a brief pause, the boy spoke again.

"I could get you some tea, if you like. Or maybe something to eat?" Byakuya could detect a certain edge in the boy's voice. It was almost like urgency, or desperation. Why was he trying so hard to be helpful?

"Tetsunosuke." The boy froze. "I already told you that I do not require anything at this time." At that, the boy's shoulders slumped so sharply that Byakuya was suddenly worried that the shirt might slip from the child's shoulders. The 6th Division captain took another hard look at the boy. Tetsunosuke had most definitely not been this thin when he had first selected him for his division. He did not get his slight frame from his father, as the former 3rd Seat had been a robust man when he had served in Byakuya's division. The boy probably did not get it from his mother, either. From the pictures he had seen (and Fujita Keiji _always_ had pictures to show), she had not been a frail woman. This boy, however, looked like he might fall over in a stiff wind.

"Tetsunosuke," Byakuya repeated. Again, the boy had flinched at the sound of his name. Byakuya frowned. "How long have you been awake?"

"A-about an hour sir," the boy stammered. "I always get up early to start cleaning the barracks. When I'm done with that I usually start making the first paperwork runs of the morning."

"We are no longer at the barracks," Byakuya reminded him. "In the World of the Living, most twelve- or thirteen-year-old boys do not wake up before sunrise to clean their rooms—_especially_ not when they are supposed to be on summer vacation."

"I'm sorry, sir," Tetsunosuke replied. Somehow his head was hanging even lower than it was before. Byakuya suddenly felt the beginning of a lecture forming in his throat, but a quick glance at the clock on the bedside table told him that it was time for him to go.

"Tetsunosuke," he said as he made his way to the door. "A strong work ethic is something that every shinigami needs to accomplish his job effectively. Your father had that quality, and I can see that he has passed it on to you." The boy blushed fiercely at that. "However," he continued, his tone more serious. "For the next several months, you are not going to be a shinigami. You are going to be a student…a child. Do not take on burdens that you do not have to."

At last, the boy looked up at him, though he had only brushed aside enough hair for one eye to be visible. Again, he seemed to be at a loss for words. It was not until Byakuya was at the door that he finally spoke up again. "Where are you going, Taichou? Do you need me to come with you?"

"That will not be necessary, Tetsunosuke," Byakuya replied as he stepped out into the hallway. "I am meeting with the Headmaster of the school we will be attending. I doubt that you would find anything we will discuss very interesting." Byakuya made his way down the halls and was halfway down the stairs when he stopped. Turning, he found Tetsunosuke following just a few steps behind.

"Yes?" the captain asked.

"Oh! Well, I was just wondering, if you won't be needing me, is there anything you need me to do while you're gone?" The hair had fallen in front of his eyes again.

"My sister will most likely awaken sometime in the next two hours. I have left a list of the supplies you will need for the school year and enough wizard money to cover your expenses. Make sure that you _both_ eat breakfast before you go out shopping. Until then," he added with a sympathetic look, "go to your room and get some rest." With that, Byakuya turned and left a somewhat perplexed Tetsunosuke at the top of the stairs.

XXXXX

Tetsu sat at the edge of his bed, watching as his feet swung idly to and fro. It had been over an hour since Kuchiki-taichou had left for his meeting, and the boy couldn't stop running over the encounter in his mind. It had been his first time to truly interact with his captain one-on-one since joining the division. And he had made a mess of everything. He could see the disdain and disappointment in the older shinigami's eyes, even if the man had kept his face neutral. Kuchiki-taichou thought he was weak and useless. Tetsu wasn't sure why he was surprised: Kuchiki-taichou was just confirming what other division members had been saying for two months now. Still, the truth hurt.

The worst part had to have been Kuchiki-taichou's parting words: "Get some rest." Though his voice had been as even as always, Tetsu had seen the look of _pity_ in the captain's eyes. Kuchiki-taichou might as well have tucked him in and given him a binky! "Get some rest?" Kuchiki-taichou and Abarai-fukutaichou were living proof that great shinigami didn't need rest. Heck, Hitsugaya-taichou was almost the same age as Tetsu, and the 10th Division captain worked even harder than Kuchiki-taichou! If Tetsu was ever going to be half as good as Hitsugaya-taichou, he couldn't afford to sleep in like a baby.

Tetsu had to admit, though, that getting some rest was very tempting. The beds here at The Leaky Cauldron may not have been as familiar as his futon, but they certainly were comfortable. The boy supposed there was no harm in lying back and relaxing a bit. It would give him a chance to think back to when things weren't so confusing. He could think back to the day he and his father moved into the teashop in the 1st District. He could still remember the smell of jasmine and the smiles of satisfied customers. He could remember the great oak tree that sat atop a hill overlooking the shop. He could picture the many hours the two of them had spent there, laughing and playing tag. He could remember the first time he'd heard his father give that nasty cough. He could still remember that night he'd had to dig the grave.

Tetsu sat up with a start. With short, panicked breaths, the boy wiped the cold sweat from his brow. "Why?" he gasped, hugging his knees close to his chest. "Why do I end up there? Why do I _always_ end up back there?"

Just then, something caught his eye: the sheets had become wrinkled in one of the corners. That certainly wouldn't do. What if Kuchiki-taichou returned and found his room in such a sorry state? So Tetsu quickly stripped the bed and began returning the sheets. He did so meticulously; making sure that every fold was neat and every corner even. It was easy to get lost in maintaining the slightest detail. But as soon as he had finished that task, he noticed the nearly imperceptible layer of dust on the floor. His room would definitely need sweeping. Did his room have a broom? Or would he have to go downstairs and borrow one from Tom the innkeeper? Before he could decide, he heard a knock at his door.

"Tetsunosuke? It's about time to—oh, you're awake," Rukia said, opening the door.

"Yes, Kuchiki-sama," Tetsu replied with a deep bow. "I was just straitening up my room. My apologies for not finishing earlier." The younger Kuchiki glanced around the room.

"Okay," she said slowly. She arched her brow, clearly unable to see how much still needed to be cleaned. Or perhaps she was ignoring the mess. Tetsu had heard rumors that Kuchiki Rukia was more forgiving than her brother. "Anyway, we should get something to eat before we head out today. Nii-sama left a list of things we'll need to buy in Diagon Alley."

"Yes, Kuchiki-sama," Tetsu replied with another bow.

"You know, you don't need to call me '-sama,'" she told him as they made their way downstairs. The bar and dining area were considerably more active than they had been earlier in the morning. Several witches and wizards were gathered around the many tables, chatting and enjoying their morning meals. Tom, the innkeeper, could be seen moving about the room serving food and drinks. Spotting the pair, he waved them over to an empty booth.

"Good mornin' to you both. Can I offer you something to eat? Today's special is the Leaky Cauldron Omelet Surprise!"

"Actually, that sounds pretty good, don't you think Tetsunosuke?" Rukia replied with a smile. Tetsu could only manage a meek nod as they took their seats.

"Right then, two omelets comin' right up!" With that, the man was off to serve other customers. Tetsu and Rukia shared a brief silence before the younger Kuchiki spoke again.

"Anyway, like I was saying: you don't need to call me '-sama.'" Tetsu squirmed in his seat.

"B-but you're a member of the Kuchiki family. People are supposed to call members of a noble family '-sama.' Anything else would just be rude!" Rude was an understatement—it could also be dangerous. Tetsu had heard from other members of his division that failing to address a noble with the proper honorific was grounds for execution.

"Well that's dumb," Rukia replied. "Besides, I was adopted into the Kuchiki family, so it's not like I'm a noble by birth."

"As you wish, Kuchiki-dono."

"There you go again!"

"What do you mean, Kuchiki-dono?" the boy asked, bewildered.

"That right there, with the –dono business! I already told you that you don't need to be so formal with me." Tetsu was mortified.

"B-but what would Kuchiki-taichou say if I didn't show you the proper respect?"

"He'd probably just shrug it off," Rukia replied nonchalantly. The boy looked back at her, dumbfounded. "I'm serious. Ichigo never uses honorifics with anybody, even Nii-sama. If my brother were that hung-up about it, he probably would have said something by now. Besides, we're going to be classmates for the next several months, and school kids are usually pretty informal with each other."

"But…"

Rukia looked at him for several moments, as if mulling something over in her mind. "Alright, fine," she said after the pause, "if you have to call me something, you can call me senpai. It makes sense, really. You'll be 'transferring' into Hogwarts as a third year, and I'll be a fifth year. So there! Problem solved," she added with a wink.

Tetsu let out a sigh of relief. A moment later, Tom arrived with their food. The omelets were unlike anything Tetsu had seen before. The smell of the eggs combined with juicy chunks of ham was intoxicating. Each plate also came with two pieces of bread toasted to a golden brown and topped with thick strawberry jam. Tetsu had a sudden, childish urge to smack his lips in anticipation. Both shinigami thanked the innkeeper, who had already moved on to the next table. While Rukia quickly began attacking her meal, Tetsu held back; it did not go unnoticed.

"What's the matter?" she asked through a mouthful of eggs.

"N-nothing, Kuchiki-senpai--"

"Rukia." Tetsu blinked back at her. "You can call me Rukia."

"Oh, well nothing's wrong Kuch—I mean, Rukia-senpai."

"Then why aren't you eating, Tetsunosuke?"

"It's nothing…"

"Is it the food? Should I get Tom back here?"

"No!" the boy replied quickly. It took Tetsu a second to realize that he had reached across the table and taken hold of Rukia's sleeve. He let go an instant later, and sheepishly averted his gaze, unconsciously brushing his bangs in front of his eyes. "It's not the food," he mumbled, barely loud enough for Rukia to hear over the din of the dining room. "It's just that, well, rookie members aren't really allowed to eat before senior members, you see…" He risked a glance at Rukia and was shocked to see the deadpan look on her face.

"Who the heck told you that?"

"W-what do you mean? Everybody knows that's the way things are. It's like that in all the 13 Court Guard Squads!"

"No it isn't," she replied with a shake of her head. "That's not how it is in the 13th Division, and I've never heard of anything like that going on in any of the other divisions. Trust me, if it were a rule, Renji would be complaining about it every chance he got." Tetsu just stared back at her as if she had grown a second head. "Who told you that story, anyway?" she asked again.

"I heard it from Akodo-san and some of the other men in the Division."

"These men wouldn't be the same people who were making carry things until you fell over, would they?" she asked pointedly.

"Well, yeah, but--"

"It sounds to me like they're hazing you," she sighed with a shake of her head.

"What does that mean?"

"Hazing is when older members of a group give newer members a hard time when they first start out. Sometimes it's just a way of getting to know the new person, and isn't meant to be hurtful." She paused, looking Tetsu right in the eyes. "Other times, though, it's nothing more than bullying."

The boy said nothing at first. He thought back to Akodo-san and the other members of the Division. Sure, they often made him run more errands than he was supposed to, but didn't that mean that they trusted him with more responsibility? They only made him wake up before dawn to clean the barracks because Kuchiki-taichou demanded it, right?

"I'm sure they're not being mean to me on purpose," he muttered, his eyes on the floor. Suddenly, a pain shot through through Tetsu's head. The boy looked up to see that Rukia had poked him—hard—in the forehead.

"That's exactly the kind of attitude that people like that feed off of," she said sternly. She quickly removed the finger, leaving Tetsu to rub his forehead gingerly. Her face softened as she watched him. "Look, unless you believe in yourself, people are going to walk all over you. That's a lesson I had to learn the hard way." Tetsu looked up at her sharply. It seemed impossible for a member of the Kuchiki family to lack confidence. And it wasn't as if Tetsu lacked confidence, it was that he lacked competence. And really, that was all Akodo-san and the others were doing: pointing out his flaws so that he could correct them. It wasn't as if it were their fault that Tetsu could never get better, or that they would find new flaws when he did.

Rukia was still looking at him, and there was something in her eyes that was vaguely familiar. The way she was looking at him was almost like the way his mother had looked at him whenever he would fall and scrape his knee. It had been a very long time since he'd seen that look of motherly concern, and seeing it again brought a warm feeling to his heart.

"OK, Rukia-senpai," he replied with the faintest hint of a smile. "I'll try my best." The older girl brightened considerably.

"Well, that's a start! Now hurry up and eat your eggs. If this Hogwarts place is anything like Ichigo's house, the kids'll take the food right off your plate if you eat this slowly. Dig in, Tetsunosuke!"

"Tetsu," he nearly whispered. She paused and looked at him with raised eyebrows. "You can call me Tetsu," he repeated, louder now. The smile she gave him was so warm that the boy nearly blushed.

"Sure thing…Tetsu."

XXXXX

Rukia had to give these wizards credit: they certainly were an imaginative people. The various shops and customers of Diagon Alley all had a certain whimsy about them that she found enchanting. Where else could one find an _Owl Emporium?_ The architecture reminded her of the cities in the Charles Dickens novels she had read in Ichigo's English classes; only the buildings were all slightly askew. How the buildings could stand at such angles was a mystery, but Rukia was sure that magic played a role somehow.

Magic seemed to permeate every part of this society, and she was even beginning to think that it was having an effect on Tetsu. When she had first met the boy he had been withdrawn and seemingly scared of his own shadow. But with a full stomach and finally out and about, he was beginning to act just like a normal kid. And that was a very welcome development.

Of course, it had taken a while for him to start coming out of his shell. When the pair had first ventured into Diagon Alley, he had been literally clinging to her as they made their way through the oddly dressed horde of shoppers. This continued until they made their first stop into Madam Malkin's to get fitted for their robes. While the woman's floating measuring tape had fascinated Rukia, Tetsu had clearly been uncomfortable being the center of attention. However, once he had seen the looks of bewilderment on the faces of a group of waiting first years, he seemed to relax a little.

Once the ice had been broken, the boy warmed considerably. By the time they passed the Quidditch supplies shop, Tetsu was smiling and staring at the new models of brooms with the same excitement as the other children. Maybe it was the presence of children that had changed his mood so dramatically. Rukia couldn't imagine that there were many shinigami that were the same relative age as Tetsu in the Gotei 13. Maybe, Rukia thought, this mission could be good for Tetsu.

The next stop was Flourish and Blotts, where the pair would find their textbooks. Rukia was once again amazed at the breadth of topics on which wizards wrote books. There were guides to various household uses for magic as well as an assortment of tomes on potions and predicting the future. Of course, there was also a large section on defense against the so-called "Dark Arts." Apparently, wizards had developed a number of hexes that ranged from the comical to the downright scary. Fortunately, someone named Gilderoy Lockhart had written a rather expansive series on protective spells he had mastered in his travels around the world.

After about twenty minutes, Rukia had found all of the books on her list and made her way to the ever-growing line of parents and students. A few minutes later, Tetsu came bounding up, his arms full of books and surprisingly large grin upon his face. The smile suited him much better than his usual nervous frown, Rukia thought.

"Did you find everything you need?" she asked.

"Yep," he replied, still smiling. "Well, almost. I'm supposed to have a book for Care of Magical Creatures, but I couldn't find it anywhere on the shelves."

"Maybe the clerk will be able to find it," she replied. Tetsu sidled up to her in line, that silly grin growing ever wider. "What's got you in such a good mood?" she asked with a smile of her own. "Did you find something interesting?"

"Yeah," he replied eagerly. "Look at this, Rukia-senpai: they have books on _dragons!_" The boy handed her a large book from the top of his stack. The cover featured a large, moving photograph of a dragon roaring and breathing fire.

"_Dragons of the World: A Practical Field Guide_," Rukia read the title aloud.

"I know it's not on the list of school books, but it just looked so interesting. You don't think Taichou will mind, do you?" he asked, a hint of nervousness creeping back into his voice. Rukia smiled reassuringly at him.

"I'm sure he won't mind. Just don't be surprised if he asks to borrow it after you're done," she added with a wink. The boy heaved a sigh of relief. A few minutes later, they reached the front of the line.

"Right then, will that be all?" asked the clerk, a friendly—if tired—looking man.

"Actually, we do have one question. We can't seem to be able to find the book for his Third-Year Care of Magical Creatures class," Rukia said, motioning to Tetsu. The clerk blanched.

"You sure you'll be needin' _that_ book?" When the pair nodded, he swallowed hard. "Right, well, I'll go and fetch it for you. Maybe I can get one that's asleep." The man disappeared into a back room, leaving Rukia and Tetsu to exchange puzzled shrugs. He returned a minute later, his hands encased in thick gloves and holding a leather-bound book with a giant pair of tongs. He placed the book on the counter gingerly. To Rukia's astonishment, it almost sounded as if the book were somehow _snoring_.

While Rukia paid the clerk, Tetsu picked up the book for closer examination. Just as Rukia put the final coin in the clerk's hand, she heard Tetsu scream. To her confused terror, the book was writhing in the boy's hands, desperately trying to _bite_ him. She shot the clerk a glare, but he merely shrugged. His eyes clearly said "It's your problem now." Out of the corner of her eye she saw Tetsu throw the book into the air in a panic. Time seemed to slow down as the book rose snapping into the air, then began its decent—right in the direction of a pair of kids that looked to be about fifteen. The two teens were so deep in their conversation that they hadn't noticed the uproar.

"I'm tellin' you, Hermione, I'm as good as dead this year," said the boy, a tall redhead. "You heard what Moody said! Prefects are always getting hexed—or worse!"

"Honestly, Ron, you're being paranoid," replied the girl, a somewhat bookish-looking brunette. "It's not as bad as you're making it out to be. I mean, really, what's the worst that could happen?"

The redhead was about to respond, but was interrupted by a snarling book landing on his head. The next few things that he said (if they could be distinguished from his inarticulate screams) would not be repeatable in polite company.

Rukia was the first to act. Using a quick flash step, she covered the distance in a second and delivered a resounding kick to the offending tome. The book flew across the store and struck the wall with a mighty "THWACK!" The younger Kuchiki thought that that might be the end of the situation, but to her amazement the book came skittering across the floor back at them. With a feral growl, the book leapt at Rukia, who readied herself in a defensive stance. The book's attack never came. As it flew through the air, the brunette moved in behind it and drew a finger along its spine. With that, the book fell to the ground with a contented sigh.

There was a period of awkward silence. Rukia stared wide-eyed at the book, then at the pair of teens. The redhead, his hair tussled and his shirt torn but otherwise unharmed, struggled to his feet. The brunette helped him up, and shot Rukia a nervous smile. "The trick is the spine," she said. "If you rub the spine, the book calms down."

"I'm so sorry," Tetsu cried as he ran up to join the trio. He had the same panicked, pleading look in his eyes that he'd had when she first met him, Rukia noted.

"You did this?" the redhead yelled, pointing an accusing finger in Tetsu's direction. The smaller boy shrank from his gaze, ducking behind Rukia. "Bloody Hell, mate!" the redhead continued. "You could have killed me!"

"Ron…" the brunette tried to calm her friend down.

"No, Hermione," Ron continued. "That little Pratt just assaulted me!"

"Hey, it was an accident!" Rukia interjected. "Nobody told us that there were killer books running around! Besides, he said he was sorry."

"Well sorry's not gonna fix my shirt, now is it?"

"Ron!" Hermione barked. Ron looked like he wanted to pursue the matter further, but kept his mouth shut. After shooting one last dirty look at Tetsu, he reclaimed his place in line. Hermione lingered for a moment later, offering a quick "Sorry" before joining her friend.

"It really was an accident, Senpai," Tetsu sniffled as he and Rukia exited the store with the now firmly secured living book.

"I know, Tetsu," she replied, throwing a reassuring arm around his shoulder. The boy snuggled up to her gently.

The last items on their lists were their wands. From what they had overheard in Madam Malkin's, the best place to buy a wand was Ollivander's. When they finally arrived, Rukia was surprised to see Byakuya exiting the shop. His meeting with the headmaster must have ended early.

"Rukia. Tetsunosuke," he said simply, with no hint of emotion in his voice. Her brother's eyes narrowed as he looked at Tetsu. "What happened?"

"There was a bit of an incident at the bookstore," she replied. Rukia couldn't help but notice that Tetsu seemed to be trying to get behind her again. Was he afraid of her brother?

"Hm. We can discuss the incident later. Right now we have bigger concerns."

"What is it?" she asked.

"Have you read the newspaper today?" When she shook her head, he handed her a copy of _The Daily Prophet_. On the front page was a picture of a bespectacled boy with a lightning bolt-shaped scar on his forehead. Above the picture was a headline that read "Harry Potter: The Boy Who Lied?" The subsequent article went on to ridicule this Harry Potter for his "crackpot" claims that "He-who-shall-not-be-named" had returned.

"What does this mean, Nii-sama?"

"It means that there is more going on here than we originally thought," he replied evenly.


	3. Chapter 3

**Bleach/Harry Potter: Crystal Vision**

_Author's Note: I do not own Bleach or Harry Potter. The only character from this story that I own is Tetsu._

_Also, thanks for the reviews and alerts, and thank you for putting up with a little character development in the last chapter. I promise to get everyone to Hogwarts in this chapter._

_As for the delay, it's mostly the result of Real Life rearing its ugly head. In the time between writing this chapter and the last chapter I have: gotten a job, lost that job, moved, had a birthday, had a family health emergency (don't worry, it worked out), gotten another job, gone to training classes for that new job, painted a house, and am now in the process of moving into that house. So yeah, it's been kind of hectic around here. Additional Author's Notes after the chapter!_

**Chapter 3**

Rukia hated trains. As far as she was concerned, they combined all the worst aspects of human transportation; they were as slow as cars and as cramped as airplanes. The few times that she had been forced to ride in one had all been horrible experiences. If she hadn't been packed in as tightly as a sardine, she'd had to fend off random perverts who liked to try to feel her up in the close quarters. Granted, the Hogwarts Express was certainly roomier than the trains in Karakura Town, and she highly doubted that any of these kids were closet perverts. Still, it was hard to shed her discomfort as the three shinigami made their way through the train

Though the three of them had arrived with plenty of time to spare, they had yet to find an unoccupied compartment, or at the very least one that could accommodate three additional trunks. Though his expression remained as neutral as ever, Byakuya was clearly beginning to get frustrated; he had already leveled his icy stare on several noisy first-years. Tetsu, meanwhile, was having trouble keeping up. Whatever the boy had in his trunk, it was obviously very heavy. To his credit he had insisted on carrying it on his own, and he had yet to complain.

It was not until five minutes after the train was underway that Byakuya finally stopped at a compartment. At first, Rukia wasn't sure why he had stopped; there were already two students inside, and adding three more might make for a tight fit. In response to her unspoken question, Byakuya nodded towards the two occupants. One was a bespectacled boy with black hair and a lightning bolt-shaped scar upon his forehead. "Hey, isn't that the kid from the newspaper?" she asked quietly. Her brother responded with a curt nod. Byakuya ushered them into the compartment without a word. The Potter boy looked up at them in surprise; the blonde girl next to the window, however, never glanced up from her magazine.

After stowing their trunks (Tetsu managing to do so with great difficulty), the three shinigami took their seats opposite of Potter and the blonde girl. There was a period of silence as the two sides took a moment to size each other up. Potter was a lot thinner in person than he appeared in the _Daily Prophet_. He almost looked like he had recently been malnourished, and was only now regaining a healthy weight. The teen's face bore an annoyed scowl that did not suit him at all in Rukia's opinion. The expression reminded her of Uryu when he was in one of his moods.

For his part, Potter took them in with various levels of interest. He gave Rukia a quick glance before moving on to Tetsu. The little boy averted his eyes quickly, causing the teen's scowl to deepen. Upon locking eyes with Byakuya, however, Potter's expression changed. The scowl vanished, replaced by a look of pale-faced panic. Maybe the youth had realized that he had scowled at an adult. Whatever his reasons, Potter could not hold her brother's gaze for more than a moment.

"Er, hello," Potter stammered. "I'm Harry. Are you a new Professor at Hogwarts?"

"Yes," Byakuya replied evenly. "I am Professor Kuchiki, formerly of the Seireitei Academy in Karakura, Japan. Your headmaster was kind enough to invite me to teach for a year at Hogwarts. It will be my honor to do so." The Potter boy seemed taken aback by Byakuya's formal tone, but nodded his head. Hopefully he wouldn't pry too deeply into their cover story. "Allow me to introduce my family," Byakuya continued. "This is Rukia, my younger sister, and Tetsunosuke, my ward."

Rukia and Tetsu smiled and bowed politely. Tetsu, she noticed, sat up a little straighter.

"Well, welcome to Hogwarts," Potter replied. "I'm sure you'll enjoy it there."

"Yes, from what I've read, it certainly seems like an interesting place, Mr. Potter," Byakuya said evenly. The boy raised a brow at the mention of his last name. "Indeed, the _Daily Prophet_ has run a very detailed exposé on your recent participation in the Triwizard Tournament." Potter's scowl was back in full force. "I take it that you have some disagreements with the _Prophet's_ reporting?"

"You could say that," the boy replied tersely.

Rukia stared at her brother, dumbfounded. Had he completely lost his mind? Just days ago he had been telling them that they needed to get close to the Potter boy. "There is more going on here than we originally thought," he had said after purchasing their wands. "If there is a 'dark wizard' that has returned to life, as Potter says, then that might explain the soul fragment we found in the Soul Society. It could also be that Potter concocted the story to cover his own tracks. Either way, Harry Potter will prove key to our investigation." And now Byakuya seemed bent on getting on the teen's bad side.

Byakuya raised a brow at Potter's scowl. "I would not worry too much about the _Prophet_. Governments have a way of using the press to hide the truth from the public." At that, Potter's expression softened considerably. He didn't smile, but his eyes lost the hostility they had held just a moment before. Rukia let out a sigh of relief. By addressing the controversy with the press, Byakuya had given the boy a reason to potentially trust him—and by extension, Rukia and Tetsu.

"You're very right about the _Prophet_," piped a feminine voice. "They've been ignoring the Nargle problem for years. Only the _Quibbler_ has been reporting on them." All eyes in the compartment turned to the little blonde girl sitting next to Potter. The girl had put her magazine down and was looking at them with wide, dream-like eyes.

"Um, what's a 'Nargle?'" Rukia asked. The girl looked at her with an odd, patient smile.

"Nargles are invisible creatures that like to knick your things," the blonde girl replied without a hint of irony. "The _Quibbler_—that's my dad's magazine—ran an article on them just last month." Rukia exchanged a confused glance with her brother. A quick glance at Potter showed that he wasn't sure of what to make of the blonde girl either.

"So how do you get rid of them?" Now all eyes moved to Tetsu, who was staring at the blonde with a worried expression. Did he actually believe her?

"Oh there's plenty of ways to stop Nargles," she smiled back at the boy and motioned for him to take a seat next to her. Tetsu did so, and soon the pair was deep in conversation. While the two conversed, Rukia kept a watchful eye on her brother. Though he kept his features neutral, she could sense the frustration building within him at the inanity of the other girl's suggestions. After a few minutes, he abruptly stood and left the compartment, mentioning something about meeting with the other teachers.

With her brother gone and Tetsu in rapt conversation with the other girl, Rukia and Harry were left to their own devices. There was some awkward small talk between them as they each tried to get to know each other. Potter, it turned out, was an avid Quidditch player, and happened to be the captain of his house team. The game sounded very exciting, and Rukia found herself looking forward to seeing it played for the first time. Harry was mostly curious about her "old school," but she kept the details vague. After all, there wasn't really a Seireitei Academy in Karakura. She based her descriptions on the Shinigami Academy, but didn't go into too much detail.

"So, what's it like to have a professor for an older brother?" Harry asked after they had been talking for some time. Even though she had known that the question would come up at some point, she was still taken aback. No matter how many times she was asked, it never got any easier to describe what it was like to describe living in Byakuya's shadow. How would one describe being constantly compared to him? Or how there was always the lingering specter of doubt that maybe, just maybe, everyone was treating her differently on account of him. Fortunately, before she could form an answer, they were interrupted by the sudden arrival of two newcomers.

"There you are, Harry," said a familiar brunette as she poked her head into the compartment. Upon seeing Rukia, Hermione offered a quick, awkward smile.

"Sorry we couldn't find you sooner, mate," continued Ron. "Prefect business and all. We spent almost half an hour just trying to keep the first years in line. We weren't that crazy at that age, were we?"

"Probably," Harry replied with a smirk. "Or have you forgotten about the troll?"

"Point taken," Ron laughed. "So what have you been up to?"

"Well, I was just getting to know the new transfer students. Ron, Hermione, this Rukia and Tetsunosuke."

"Yeah, we've met," Ron scowled. He glared at Rukia, then at Tetsu, who had only just noticed the pair's arrival. The smaller boy averted his gaze immediately, much to Ron's apparent delight.

"They're here with Rukia's brother, _Professor_ Kuchiki," Harry continued. Rukia allowed a slight smirk as the redhead's expression turned to one of horror. Her smile only widened when she felt the approach of her brother's reiatsu.

"What seems to be the trouble here?" Byakuya asked coolly. He had moved behind the redheaded boy silently and was gazing down at the teen with a quizzical expression. After a moment, his eyes narrowed slightly, a sign of recognition. "You must be Ronald Weasley. Rukia has told me about your little altercation at Flourish and Blott's." Ron's face paled. "Do not be alarmed," Byakuya continued. "From what she and Tetsunosuke have said, the incident was little more than a misunderstanding. As far as I am concerned, the matter is in the past, and we should all move on. To do otherwise would be inappropriate," he added with a disapproving frown in Rukia's direction.

Rukia looked away, her cheeks blushing with shame. Here she was, so worried about being treated differently for being Byakuya's sister, yet she had tried to exploit that relationship for her own gain. Kaien would have been disappointed.

Ron and Hermione parted to allow Byakuya back into the compartment, and he glided past them without a word. The two teens shared a nervous glance before resuming their conversation with Harry. Rukia was too busy staring at her feet to follow what they were saying. After a few minutes her eyes wandered over to her brother and she noticed that he had brought a large bag with him when he'd returned.

"Is that candy?" she asked, noting the bag's contents. There was a multitude of shiny wrappers and small boxes within the bag, including "Every Flavor Beans" and what appeared to be chocolate frogs. "I didn't realize you had such a sweet tooth, Nii-sama," she whispered in Japanese. Byakuya shot her a sidelong glance.

"Hardly," he replied in terse Japanese. "These are samples to be sent back to the Soul Society." Rukia raised a brow.

"They're gifts, aren't they?" she asked with a wicked grin. "I didn't know you cared. So who are they for?"

"Renji." At Rukia's confused expression, he continued: "Zaraki's fukutaichou is always invading our barracks. This will give Renji a means to distract her."

"But if he gives her candy every time she comes over, doesn't that give her even more reason to drop by?" When Byakuya gave no reply, it dawned on her that maybe, just maybe, that was the entire point. But that would mean that Byakuya intended to play a practical joke on Renji—and she just couldn't fathom the idea of her brother having a sense of humor.

XXXXX

It was dark when the Hogwarts Express finally arrived at its destination. Her luggage in hand and Tetsu close behind, Rukia followed her brother out to the platform. The scene was nearly as chaotic as the station in London, though there were a few adults on hand to direct traffic. One such adult literally stood far above the others. He was an enormous, bearded man who would have towered over even Zaraki. The giant man was gathering the first-year students, who apparently would take a different route to the school than the older children. At the sight of the three shinigami, the bearded man called out to them.

"Perfesser Kuchiki!" he bellowed in his thick accent, waving them over. "How was yer trip? Did ye enjoy the ride?"

"It was fine, Professor Hagrid," Byakuya replied coolly. "Rukia, Tetsunosuke, this is Professor Hagrid. He is the school's groundskeeper, as well as the Care of Magical Creatures instructor." Rukia and Tetsu gave the large man a polite bow.

"My, my, yer polite! But there's no need to bow to the likes of me," Hagrid laughed with an embarrassed blush. "Right then! Yer probably wonderin' where yer s'posed to go. Now normally, new students ride with me across the lake. But, seein' as yer not first-years, I s'pose you'll take the carriages." Hagrid motioned to an area a short walk from the platform. There, a string of carriages awaited the students.

Rukia gasped when she saw what was pulling them: a pair of monstrous creatures was pulling each carriage. The beasts resembled emaciated horses with large, leathery wings. At the end of their snouts was a hooked, hawk-like beak.

"W-what are those things?" Tetsu asked nervously. Hagrid looked down at them worriedly.

"So you can see the Thestrals, then?" he asked, his voice laced with sadness. "A real pity, that. And yer so young, too…" he trailed off with a sigh. "I s'pose I should get used to it, though. These are dark times, they are." With that, the giant man moved off, leading the growing gaggle of first-years to their destination. The three shinigami were left to make their way to the carriages.

"What do you think he meant?" Rukia asked as they walked. "Can't everyone see those things?"

"Apparently not," Byakuya mused. Indeed, the students in front of them piled into the carriages without ever once acknowledging the grotesque creatures. At last it was the shinigami's turn to board a carriage. Before they did so, however, something very strange happened. The thestral pulling the carriage turned to each of the three in turn, and preceded to give a slow gesture that could best be described as a bow. Dumbfounded, the three boarded the carriage.

The trio rode in silence for some time. Rukia had taken a seat next to her brother, while Tetsu sat opposite of them. Actually, the boy spent very little time sitting; he was constantly shifting and turning, trying to take in all of his surroundings with wide eyes and an enthusiastic grin. After what felt like his hundredth such turn, Rukia finally spoke up: "What's that?" she asked, pointing to an object around the boy's neck.

"What, this?" Tetsu finally sat down to examine his new necklace. "This is a butterbeer cork," he said proudly. "Luna gave it to me."

"You mean that girl from the train?"

"Yeah. She said it'd help keep the Nargles away." Rukia nearly fell over, but managed to keep herself upright. Beside her, Byakuya's left eye twitched noticeably. Rukia was about to explain that Nargles probably didn't exist when Hogwarts castle came into view.

"Wow," was all she could manage. The castle was a magnificent sight. Stone towers and walls loomed high, yet the structure seemed to give off an aura of welcome. Not since first seeing the Seireitei had Rukia seen a structure that commanded such awe. Tetsu must have mirrored her impressions, for his jaw had nearly hit the floor of the carriage. Even Byakuya seemed impressed, giving the sight an even "Hm."

Upon arriving at the castle proper, the three were greeted by an older witch in a pointed hat who introduced herself as Professor McGonagall. She led the trio through a veritable maze of corridors and stairways. They finally stopped next to a small door that presumably led into a very large room. Behind the great stone wall, Rukia could clearly make out the din of the voices of hundreds of excited children and teens.

"This door leads into the Great Hall," McGonagall explained in her Scottish accent. "Normally, this entrance is for staff members only. However, since we can't exactly have your family enter with the first-years, they will have to enter with you, Professor. After the first-years enter, they will be sorted into the School Houses. Then it will be your turn," she nodded to Rukia and Tetsu. The little boy looked nervous, but kept his head held high.

When McGonagall left to tend to the first-year students, Byakuya led the trio into the Great Hall. The first thing that struck Rukia was the noise; she had forgotten how loud children and teenagers could get when they were in large groups. The second thing that struck her was the absolute beauty of the room. Candles floated about freely, supported by magic alone. The ceiling didn't look like a ceiling at all; rather, it was like staring up into a starry sky. Each wall was lined by a series of four banners that she assumed corresponded with the four "Houses." The four long tables that lined the main section of the hall supported this conclusion, as each was under a different banner.

Closest to the left-hand wall was the table under a red and gold banner that bore the symbol of a lion. This table was quite boisterous, though their conversations seemed good-natured enough. Among the sea of faces at this table Rukia could clearly make out Ron, Hermione and Potter.

The next table sat under a yellow banner that bore the mark of a black badger. This table was more subdued than the others, but there were many warm smiles among the students. The third table sat under a blue banner with a bronze raven. This table was also very quiet, but that was due to many of them having their noses buried in books. Luna, the odd girl from the train, sat at that table.

The final table sat under a familiar green and silver banner. The coiled silver snake on the banner was identical to the one the ghost boy wore on his robes. She glanced at Byakuya, who nodded back at her. The House under the green banner warranted further investigation. Rukia wasn't sure what to make of the House's behavior: though not as boisterous as the red House, they were clearly more animated than the other two. Interestingly, most of their attention was directed at the red House. One blonde boy in particular glared at the other table with what could only be described as contempt. Interesting.

At last the first-years were led into the hall. The trio watched from the back corner as they filed into a line in front of the staff table. Next, McGonagall emerged with a stool and a very old and ugly pointed hat. She placed the stool in front of the first years and placed the hat atop the stool. As she stepped back, the hat did a very unusual thing: it began singing. Rukia stood dumbfounded as the leather hat spun a rhyme about the four Houses working together to conquer dark times. Rukia had some difficulty following the song, as she could not get over the fact that a _hat_ was _singing_.

After the song was finished, McGonagall once again stood in front of the nervous first-years. Reading from a large roll of parchment, she began calling students forward. "Katie Aaronson." Katie, a very slight redhead with rather adorable pigtails, took a seat on the stool. McGonagall placed the hat atop her head, and for a moment there was silence.

"HUFFLEPUFF!" the hat's voice echoed across the hall. A cheer rose up from the yellow table as the little girl scurried over to join them. This process was repeated for each new student. As each new boy or girl was placed in a house, that house's table would cheer, while the others would look disappointed. The only exceptions came when a student was placed in Gryffindor (the red table) or Slytherin (the green table). When that happened, the opposing table would jeer the other. Clearly the rivalry between the two houses was intense.

Finally, the last student was sorted. McGonagall, however, did not remove the hat or the stool. This was obviously a breach in procedure, as there was soon a murmur throughout the student body. Amid the whispers, an old man stepped forward to a podium erected in front of the staff table. He was a tall, thin man with a great white beard and long white hair. Rukia was vaguely reminded of Soutaichou Yamamoto, though this man carried himself with a less severe aura. This must be Headmaster Dumbledore, she thought.

Dumbledore took to the podium with a practiced ease. He flashed the students a warm smile, then motioned them to be silent. "Welcome to another year at Hogwarts," he began, his voice surprisingly strong for a man his age. He continued for a few minutes, explaining the rules of the school to the first-years. And to Rukia and Tetsu, she supposed. After a brief admonition that the "Forbidden Forest" was off-limits to students, he finally came to the matter that the students were whispering about.

"Next, I would like to announce that we will be joined by some special guests this year. First allow me to welcome Professor Byakuya Kuchiki," Dumbledore motioned to Byakuya. The shinigami captain acknowledged the students' applause with a curt nod. "Professor Kuchiki has journeyed all the way from Japan to teach a new course in Eastern Magic. I'm sure that those of you who are eligible will find his class most enlightening.

"Professor Kuchiki did not make the long journey alone, however," Dumbledore continued. "Accompanying him were two members of his family, who have transferred here for the term. I'm sure that all of you will welcome our new guests as members of the Hogwarts family. Now, without further ado, the Sorting Hat has two final students to sort. Professor McGonagall, if you will?"

"Tetsunosuke Fujita." All eyes turned to the little boy on Rukia's left. Tetsu took hold of the sleeve of Rukia's robe and looked up at her pleadingly. When she nodded at the stool, he stepped forward, brushing his bangs in front of his eyes as he did so.

XXXXX

Tetsu hated being the center of attention. All around him was a sea of young faces, all of them staring at him—judging him. What were they thinking? How many of them had already written him off? How many of them had already decided that they hated him? The boy swallowed hard as the magical hat was placed on his head.

_Hmm._ Tetsu nearly jumped at the sound of the voice in his head. _You are an odd one, aren't you?_ _You're not alive, but I'm fairly certain you need to be born on this side of the veil to be considered _dead_, don't you think? _Tetsu's face paled, and he scanned the room to see if anyone had heard what the hat had said. He heard the hat's voice laugh. _Don't worry! Don't worry! You're the only one who can hear me now. Well, you and that woman from the cave. If we had more time, I'd like very much to meet her. After all, it's not every year that I find a child with _two_ minds in his head!_

Tetsu's jaw nearly hit the floor. Could the hat actually sense the spirit of his zanpakutou?

_Zanpakutou, eh?_ The hat repeated. _Curious. Very curious, indeed. But no matter, I'm not here to pry too far into your mind, boy. I'm here to sort you into your proper House. So let's get started, shall we?_ The boy could only nod.

_Now let's see here,_ the hat continued. _I see a lot of loyalty in you, boy—especially to those close to you. There's a great deal of kindness here, too, and gentleness I haven't seen in some time. You'd do well in Hufflepuff, I think. Yet there's something else…courage, and no small amount, either._

Courage? Tetsu thought. He didn't see himself as being particularly brave. Not compared to someone like Kuchiki-taichou, anyway.

_Ah, but there's more than one kind of courage, my boy. Not all bravery involves battle or great deeds. Sometimes just carrying on takes a kind of courage that some simply don't have. But you have that courage in spades, boy, just like Longbottom._ _You'd like him, I think. Well, that leaves only one option..._

Before Tetsu could ask what he meant, the hat called our in its booming voice: "GRYFFINDOR!" A great cheer erupted from the Gryffindor as Tetsu nervously shuffled over to take a seat.

XXXXX

"Rukia Kuchiki," McGonagall called after the cheers subsided. With a quick glance to her brother, Rukia took a seat on the stool. Once the hat was on her head, all other sound went quiet.

_Well, now_, came a voice. _This cannot be coincidence to have not one, but _two_ dead students in one sorting. I believe I've detected a pattern here. I'd be willing to bet that your brother over there is the same, isn't he? _Rukia stiffened in her seat. _Now, now, don't worry,_ the hat continued. _Your secret is safe with me. A student is a student to me, alive or dead. Though I must admit that I'm very curious about your zanpakutou, was it? Maybe someday you or Fujita can explain to me how you have another mind inside your minds._

_Now then, let's get you sorted, shall we?_ The hat paused for a moment, as if to think._ You're definitely bright, that's for sure. You've got a natural gift for that "Eastern Magic" business, but you're also humble about it. There's also quite a lot of courage, here. You've face quite a lot in your life, haven't you? Battles, death, and loss…you've seen them all. And yet you remain strong, despite the hardship. Honestly, there's not but one House for someone like you…_

"GRYFFINDOR!" Again cheers rose from the Gryffindor table, louder this time. Some students from the other tables could be heard muttering about Gryffindor getting both transfer students. Rukia made her way over to the Gryffindor table and took a seat next to Tetsu. The little boy smiled up at her, clearly relieved that they would be in the same House for the rest of the mission.

The hall fell silent again, and Rukia could see that Dumbledore had taken the podium once again. "Thank you, Professor McGonagall. Again, I would like to extend a warm welcome to our new transfer students. I'm sure that they will find their time here most illuminating," the Headmaster cast a warm smile at the two. The old man cleared his throat before continuing. "I would also like to extend an equally warm welcome to Professor Dolores Umbridge, who will be taking on the duties of Defense Against the Dark Arts instructor." At the staff table, a short, squat woman in an offensively pink outfit stood and waved to the students. Her smile, while wide, was completely devoid of any sincerity. Rukia was suddenly reminded of a very large, pink toad.

"Now, there are a few other matters that bear--"

_"Hem hem!"_

Dumbledore paused at the sound that had interrupted him. Not immediately seeing its source, he attempted to continue: "There are other matters that--"

"_Hem hem!"_

Now Dumbledore had located the source: behind him, Umbridge had not taken her seat at the staff table. "Professor Dumbledore, if I may? I have prepared a short address for the students."

Dumbledore stared back at the toad woman, clearly nonplussed. He quietly stepped aside and allowed Umbridge to take the podium. The woman proceeded to launch into a speech that she said had been "approved by the Ministry." The more Umbridge went on, the more Rukia's eyes narrowed at the content. A quick glance confirmed that Byakuya had had the same reaction.

"What was that all about, Rukia-senpai?" Tetsu whispered in Japanese after the woman had finished.

"She's from the government, Tetsu," Rukia replied in a low voice. "And they're interfering at Hogwarts." She shot Potter a sidelong glance. "Something's definitely going on here, and Potter's at the middle of it."

_Author's Notes and Review Replies:_

_**On part of Voldermort's soul getting to Soul Society**__: This is a bit of a conceit on my part in order to get the story rolling. While yes, his soul should definitely end up in Hell, the soul fragment from the horcrux didn't for a couple reasons. First, at that point in his life, Tom Riddle hadn't reached the level of evil that he would later on. There was still a very slim chance for redemption back then. Secondly, that fragment is still tethered to the mortal plane by the other horcruxes. However, without a vessel to hold it, the fragment was forced into the Dongai Pass. There it should have remained, but the fragment forced its way into Soul Society by sheer force of will._

_**On using an OC instead of say, Hanataro**__: Again, this is mostly a conceit on my part. Tetsu was a character that I created for a Bleach forum-based RP site. However, that site disintegrated and changed settings twice before I could ever get a chance to fully develop him. So here he is. As for him being similar to Hanataro, I will admit that there are some similarities. However, Hanataro as a person is much stronger than Tetsu, especially after having met Ichigo. Hanataro wouldn't face the same kind of challenges that someone like Tetsu would. In short, he'd have a much easier time adapting than Tetsu would, and we can't have that, now can we? =P_

_Besides, there's a very good reason why Byakuya thinks Tetsu would be a good counter to all the deceptive magic the wizards and witches of this world employ… _


	4. Chapter 4

**Bleach/Harry Potter: Crystal Vision**

_Author's Note: I do not own Bleach or Harry Potter. The only character from this story that I own is Tetsu._

_Well, the big move went off without a hitch, and we are now completely moved in. Unfortunately, the holidays were quite hectic on my end, resulting in the massive delay. I sincerely apologize for not getting this chapter out in a more prompt manner. To make up for that, this chapter is a bit longer, which also slowed things down a bit. Seriously, Long Chapter is Long._

_Also, I realized shortly after the last chapter was posted that Hagrid wasn't back at Hogwarts in time to do his normal schtick with the first-years. D'oh. Let's just say that in this continuity, he got back much earlier. Don't worry, Grawp is still hiding in the forest._

**Chapter 4**

Tetsu awoke to the sound of light snoring. Blinking, he sat up and shook the cobwebs from his head. Unable at first to locate the source of the noise, it took him a moment to realize that it was still dark. The young shinigami groaned inwardly. Kuchiki-taichou had been very clear that he didn't need to wake up before dawn while they were on this mission. Old habits, however, die hard. Tetsu looked across the room at the snoring boy (Ian Hanley, was it?) with envy. The slim thirteen-year-old was splayed out on his stomach, his arms in legs going in different directions. The boy's short, wavy blonde hair was flattened on one side in a classic case of "bed head." In the pre-dawn light, Tetsu could make out a thin stream of saliva coming from his open mouth. Clearly, Ian was a boy who never had any difficulty sleeping.

Tetsu stared at his own pillow with mixed emotions. As tempting as it was to follow Ian's example, Tetsu knew that he could never be so carefree about sleep. Sleep meant dreams, and Tetsu's dreams never ended well. How many times would he have to relive that night?

Shaking those dark thoughts from his mind, Tetsu shuffled out of bed. After dressing quickly and making his bed, the boy found that dawn still had yet to arrive. Deciding that it probably wouldn't be proper for him to start making the other boys' beds while they were still sleeping, he turned his attention to his trunk. With all of the excitement from the previous night's sorting, he had not had a chance to properly unpack.

First he removed his civilian clothes from the trunk, setting them aside to be repacked later. While his gigai had come with a simple outfit of jeans and a t-shirt, Rukia had insisted that he'd need more than one change of clothes. After a quick trip to the human world, she had returned with a large duffle bag filled with shirts, shorts and pants. "Think of them as gifts from a friend," she had said. Though the initials "K.I." on the tags marked them as hand-me-downs, Tetsu was grateful just the same; the clothes had a lived-in quality that he enjoyed.

Next came his textbooks. He did a quick count to make sure that he was not missing anything. Thankfully, all his books were accounted for, and his _Monster Book of Monsters_ was securely muzzled—three times. The leathery book glared up at him and growled softly, but Tetsu was quick to cover it with his copy of _Elementary Kidou._ The last book was his brand new _Dragons of the World_. He took a moment to admire the cover with its moving photograph. How exactly were wizards able to do that? Placing the book on his bed, the boy continued unpacking.

After retrieving his cauldron and other potions supplies, Tetsu came to the most important objects in the trunk. In the center of the trunk was his father's tea set, wrapped tightly in tissue paper. He took out each piece as gently as one might lift a newborn. Unwrapping the teapot and four cups from the tissue, Tetsu could see why his father had always told him to be careful with this particular set; each white porcelain piece was emblazoned with the emblems of the 6th and 4th Divisions. Along the edges the 4th Division's bellflower and the 6th Division's camellia alternated in a beautiful pattern. Out of all their wedding presents, this had been his parents' favorite.

Setting the tea set on his bed, the boy turned to the pair of picture frames staring up at him from within the trunk. Picking up the first picture, he held it gingerly in his hands and smiled. The photograph in the frame was an older picture, showing a very young Tetsu being held by his mother and father. Though he could not remember exactly when the picture was taken, he must have only been around fifty years old at the time—barely a kindergartener by Soul Society standards. Looking back, Tetsu had to giggle at his wide, toothy smile, complete with missing baby teeth.

Tetsu's father was on the left, holding his son aloft with one arm. The resemblance between the two was uncanny: both had the same wavy brown hair, and Tetsu had clearly taken his wide grin from his father. Yet Keiji did have some differences from his son. For one, he was more solidly built, standing six feet tall with broad shoulders that were accentuated by the rolled-up sleeves of his shinigami robes. His jaw was also squarer than Tetsu's, framed by a smattering of light stubble. The biggest difference, however, was the eyes. While Keiji's eyes were a bright green, Tetu's light blue eyes were more like his mother's.

Fujita Nanako also bore a striking resemblance to her son. Her features were soft, and her straight black hair reached down to her shoulders. On her left side she wore a pink hairpin in the shape of a bellflower that matched the pattern on the strap of her 4th Division medicinal pack. Her smile, while more reserved than Keiji's wide grin, was nevertheless warm and inviting. Combined with her bright blue eyes, it gave the impression of a woman who was infinitely happy with her life.

His own smile mirroring his mother's, Tetsu turned to the other photograph. This one was much more recent, taken shortly after Tetsu's one-hundredth birthday. It was only Tetsu and his father in this picture. The two of them were standing outside the _Lavender Sunset_, the sign of his father's teashop displayed prominently in the background. His father had traded in his shinigami robes for attire more suitable for running a teashop. Though he still looked quite fit, it was clear that he had aged between the two photos; if one looked closely, there were hints of gray forming in Keiji's hair. Father and son had adopted amusing poses for this "silly picture:" Tetsu was flexing his arms like a bodybuilder, while his father was hunched over like a monkey while simultaneously giving his son "bunny ears."

Tetsu had to stifle his laughter so as not to awaken his fellow students. That picture had always been one of his favorites for the way that it captured just how playful his father could be at times. He could almost imagine how his mother would have laughed at their antics.

Tetsu frowned. It suddenly occurred to him that he could only _almost_ remember the way she would have laughed. He wracked his brain, but could not for the life of him recall. His heart sank as the realization struck him: he had forgotten the sound of his mother's voice.

He sat there for a moment, his mind racing. How could he have forgotten? True, he had been very young when his mother had passed, but he should still remember, shouldn't he? What kind of son was he to let something as important as his mother's voice slip from his mind? He could still remember his father's voice, so why not hers? Did that mean that he didn't love her as much as his father? Was she so unimportant that he had cast aside all of the lullabies and stories from when he was younger? Was he that heartless? Or was he just stupid for forgetting something so crucial?

Out of the corner of his eye, Tetsu noticed a narrow shaft of light coming from under the curtains next to his bed. The sun must have risen. The dawn's light revealed that the curtain was wrinkled and dusty. That wouldn't do. Taking a piece of cloth from his trunk, the boy quickly dusted and straightened the curtains. But even neat curtains couldn't hide a dirty window. Intent on cleaning the glass, he opened the curtains—and came face to face with Kuchiki-taichou.

With a yelp of surprise, Tetsu fell flat on his rear. Seeing that his captain was still there standing on thin air, the boy picked himself up sheepishly and opened the window. It took Tetsu a moment to register that Byakuya was dressed in his shinigami uniform; he must have left his gigai in his quarters. "Yes, sir?" he asked quietly.

"I have a task for you," Byakuya replied evenly, seemingly ignoring his subordinate's embarrassing reaction. "When you next see Rukia, inform her that the communications devices we brought with us to contact Soul Society are malfunctioning. The magic of this place seems to be creating some kind of interference."

"Oh," Tetsu nodded. "I will, sir." The boy hesitated slightly before speaking again. "If you don't mind me asking, sir, um, why didn't you tell her yourself? The girls' dormitory is nearby." Byakuya frowned, and Tetsu swallowed nervously.

"It would be beneath a Captain of the Gotei 13 to intrude upon the girls' sleeping quarters." With that, he turned to leave.

"W-wait!" Tetsu blurted, a move he instantly regretted. Byakuya stopped and turned back slowly, his icy glare threatening to pierce the boy's very soul. Tetsu stood there for a moment, trying repeatedly to speak but unable to form the words. After brushing his bangs in front of his eyes, he finally managed to speak. "I-I just had a question for you, sir?" Byakuya said nothing, but continued to stare at him. "Y-you knew my parents, right, sir?"

The 6th Division captain raised a brow. "Your father served in my Division, yes. I never met your mother."

"Oh," Tetsu replied, crestfallen. "Never mind, then."

Byakuya turned to completely face him. The older shinigami's glare had softened somewhat. Now it seemed as if the Captain were appraising him, sizing him up. He looked at the boy for several minutes, but did not speak. Tetsu could only guess at what the man might be thinking. "Relay my message to Rukia," he said, turning his back on Tetsu once again.

"I will, sir," the boy replied, his eyes on the floor.

"And Tetsunosuke?"

"Yes?"

"That book on dragons may prove useful. See to it that you leave it in my office when you are finished with your research." Bewildered, Tetsu looked up just in time to see his captain vanish with a flash step.

XXXXX

Tetsu had the Gryffindor Common Room all to himself and found the room just as stifling in its emptiness as it had been when fully packed. The night before there had been so many students in the small room that the boy had scarcely had space to move. Every step led to contact with someone just dying to meet the new transfer student. The tall redheaded twins had been the worst: they had wasted no time in clapping him on the back and offering free samples from their box of merchandise. Had it not been for Rukia's intervention, he doubted that he would ever have gotten away from them.

While the pressing crowd had been bad enough, the empty silence was just as bad. Now free of students the room suddenly felt vast and lonely. The chairs and sofas, while quite comfortable, were clearly designed for older students. Everything from the furniture to the raging fireplace served as a reminder of just how small and alone he was here. It seemed like everything in the castle wanted to drive that point home. The dorms above him were filled with children, all of them with friends and families to go home to. He had nothing.

"Stop it," he whispered. "Don't think like that." He sat in silence for a moment, as if waiting for someone to echo that point. No one did. The boy sighed and hugged his knees close to his chest. He looked around the room, searching for anything that might be out of place. Nothing was. For the first time in a very long time, there was nothing he could do to straighten up or clean. There were no early morning files to deliver. There was nothing to _do_. There was no one to talk to. It was just him. Alone. Very, very alone.

Tetsu could feel his heart racing in his chest. His breathing was rapid and shallow as he curled into a tight ball in his seat. In the oppressive silence he heard the sound of footsteps coming from the girls' dormitory. The boy leapt from his seat and turned to the stairway. "Rukia!" he called out, his voice cracking with emotion.

But it was not Rukia in the stairway. Instead, a very startled-looking Hermione stared back at him, a hand on her chest. "Holy—you scared me!" After a moment, the girl smiled and gave a nervous laugh. "You certainly gave me a fright."

"I'm sorry," the boy replied, his voice barely more than a whisper. He bowed deeply, letting his wavy bangs fall in front of his eyes. "Please forgive me."

"Don't worry about it," she reassured him. "No harm done, right, Tetsunosuke?" She said the name carefully, as if analyzing each syllable to make sure that it was correct. The boy gave her a quick smile, letting her know that she had gotten it right on the first try. She returned the smile warmly, and the boy felt a slight reddening in his cheeks. "We had an exchange student from Japan when I was in primary school, so our class learned a little Japanese" she explained, taking a seat on one of the massive couches. "We only learned some of the basics, and I'm afraid that I'm terribly rusty."

"It's fine, really." She smiled again, apparently relieved. As they sat, her expression became more serious.

"Is everything alright, Tetsunosuke?" she asked. The boy shifted in his seat.

"I'm fine."

"You don't look fine. Is there something bothering you?"

"It's nothing," he reassured her. "I just had a little trouble sleeping." Hermione said nothing for a moment, and Tetsu was convinced that she didn't believe him. However, she did not pursue the point, instead choosing to rise from her seat.

"Well, we should get going down to the Great Hall. They'll be serving breakfast soon, and we don't want to be late," she said, offering him a hand. Blushing once again, Tetsu accepted her hand and followed Hermione towards the Great Hall.

XXXXX

Tetsu and Hermione were not in the Great Hall long before other students began to arrive. At first they came in a trickle, as a few early-risers entered one or two at a time. Then came larger groups who had awoken at a more decent hour. The last and largest group was made up of students who had decided to sleep in as late as possible before the school year proper began. Many were bewildered-looking first-years, led into the hall by an annoyed Ron. Harry and Rukia were with him, both of them quite amused by his predicament.

"Bloody Hell," the redhead cursed as he took a seat next to Hermione. "This is got to be the thickest batch of first-years ever. There must have been ten of them that got lost on the way here."

"Ron, it's their first day," Hermione reminded him. "We weren't any different." Ron didn't say anything, choosing instead to begin eating. Rukia rolled her eyes as she took a seat next to Tetsu, mumbling something about Ron reminding her of Matsumoto-fukutaichou. Tetsu looked at her, then at Ron, then back to Rukia, puzzled. Aside from the color of their hair, he couldn't see any resemblance between the two. Then again, she could have meant their personalities, but Tetsu was hardly in a position to make that judgment. After all, he had only spoken to the 10th Division's Lieutenant once, and it had only been long enough to deliver a report. She had looked down at him, smiled that mischievous smile, taken the report and thanked him. The woman had even bent over to pat him on the head, putting her ample…endowments squarely in his face.

"Tetsu!" The boy started as Rukia snapped her fingers in front of his eyes. Many of the nearby Gryffindors snickered at his red-faced confusion. "Welcome back," Rukia continued, dropping an envelope in his lap. "Professor McGonagall just handed out our schedules."

His face still beet-red in embarrassment at being caught daydreaming—not to mention the content of that dream—Tetsu opened the envelope carefully and examined his schedule. He would start the day with Potions, followed by Charms. After lunch he had Transfiguration and Herbology. The next day would start with Kidou, which had been labeled "Eastern Magic," followed by Defense Agains the Dark Arts and Care of Magical Creatures. The rest of the week saw his schedule alternate double periods of his various classes. All in all, the plan seemed less demanding than the Shinigami Academy, and Tetsu couldn't wait to learn about these brand new subjects.

"What does your schedule look like, Senpai?" The two took a moment to compare. Oddly, they both had Kidou first thing on Tuesdays.

"Maybe Nii-sama made a mistake?" Rukia offered. As absurd as it was to think that Kuchiki-taichou was capable of making mistakes, there didn't seem to be any other explanation. The boy looked over at the staff table, where Kuchiki-taichou was pointedly avoiding looking at the pink woman from the Ministry, despite the latter's dogged attempts at conversation. "Oh!" Tetsu exclaimed. "Kuchiki-taichou wanted me to tell you something," he whispered to Rukia in Japanese.

"Really? When did you talk to him?"

"Just this morning. He was outside my window."

"If he had a message for me, why didn't he just tell me himself?" she asked, confused. Tetsu could only shrug in reply. The boy was about to continue when he noticed Hermione out of the corner of his eye. The girl was sitting quietly next to Potter, nodding at his conversation. Every now and then, she would pause and say something to herself silently. Right now it looked like she was mouthing the word "senpai." Then it hit him: she had learned some Japanese in the past, and she was probably taking the opportunity to brush up on words and phrases she'd heard. But did that mean that she could follow their conversation? Was it safe to continue without risking their cover?

Before Tetsu had time to dwell on those questions, he heard a commotion coming from above. Looking up, the boy was astonished to see dozens of owls fly into the Great Hall from an open window. The birds, ranging in size from tiny Screech Owls to large Snowy and Great Horned Owls, flew around the room dropping envelopes, scrolls and the occasional newspaper to students and teachers. One owl--a very exhausted-looking Barn Owl--landed in front of Rukia. Panting, the creature presented its left leg, which bore a red envelope.

"Rukia, you got a Howler?" Hermione asked, her mouth hanging open in disbelief.

"It's the first day," Ron added, equally dumbfounded. "What could she have possibly done on the first day?" Rukia exchanged confused looks with the two of them.

"You'd better open it," Harry said solemnly. "The longer you wait, the worse it'll get."

With a gulp, Rukia took the parcel from the beleagured owl. The bird took of in an instant, clearly not wanting to be present when Rukia opened the envelope. The older shinigami steeled herself, then broke the envelope's seal. As soon as she did, the envelope sprang to life, hovering in the air in front of her. With a mouth formed by the tab, it spoke in the booming voice of an adolescent boy:

_**"Hey, Rukia!"**_ it yelled in informal Japanese. _**"It's me, Ichigo! So how's your mission going? You said that you were going undercover at a school, right? Is it any less useless than ours? Everyone here is pretty pissed that we're not going to see you for a while. You will be back for break, though, right? Orihime says that if you don't she'll be real sad. So will everyone else, even if they won't admit it. Anyway, write back when you can! Your friend, Ichigo."**_ The letter paused, then continued: _**"PS: I was going to write you a post card, but 'Hat-and-Clogs' said that this red envelope would be better. Seems a little too fancy for me, don't you think?"**_

With that, the letter tore itself to shreds, creating a small pile of ripped paper on the Gryffindor table. Every student in the Great Hall was staring at Rukia. Some were already laughing, but most were waiting for the transfer student's reaction. Clearly, they had not understood a word of what Ichigo had said in his letter, but they assumed that she had been scolded for something or other. For her part, Rukia just stared at the remnants of the letter, mouth agape and brow twitching.After a moment, she closed her eyes, and Tetsu found himself scooting away from her rapidly building reiatsu.

"Ichigo, you moron!" she screamed loud enough to make a girl from the Slytherin table jump. Standing now, she railed against Ichigo, gesturing wildly. As she ranted, she slipped from English into Japanese. Tetsu could only blush as she let forth some particularly choice and very un-ladylike swear words.

"Um, who's Ichigo?" Harry asked quietly.

"I think he's Rukia-senpai's boyfriend," the boy replied with a shrug. An instant later, Tetsu felt a crushing pressure on his head as Rukia whipped him around to face her. Her violet eyes were afire as she stared at him.

"Boyfriend? Ichigo is _not_ my boyfriend! Where did you hear that?"

"F-from Abarai-san," Tetsu stuttered, his legs swinging freely as the older shinigami held him aloft by his head. "I heard him say it one day when I was dropping off papers in his office."

"_Renji_ told you that?" The boy suddenly found himself falling as Rukia released her grip. Shaken but unharmed, he crawled back to his seat as Rukia pulled out a metal device from her pocket. "I swear I'm going to give _both_ of those strawberry-headed idiots a piece of my mind."

"What is that thing?" Ron asked, puzzled. "Is that one of those felly-tones?"

"You mean _telephone_, Ronald," Hermione corrected him. "But I thought that telephones didn't work here at Hogwarts?" Sure enough, Rukia was unable to get her communicator to function.

"Stupid thing! Why won't it work?"

"I tried to tell you, senpai. None of the things we brought from back home are working." The older shinigami paused as the full weight of that revelation struck her. After a moment she frowned and flipped the device closed in a huff.

"Um, Rukia," Hermione offered nervously. "If you need to get in touch with your friends, you could always borrow an owl."

"Really? That would be great," Rukia replied in a voice as icy as her smile. Tetsu gulped. He was certainly glad that he wasn't in Ichigo or Abarai-san's shoes.

XXXXX

Tetsu knew that he was going to hate Potions as soon as he stepped into the classroom. Even calling it a classroom was being generous, as the dank dungeon was unsettling and foreboding. Lit only by torchlight and smelling of undoubtedly horrible ingredients, he could hardly imagine a more unpleasant place to teach children. The only person to seem comfortable was Professor Snape himself. Snape was a tall, gaunt man with greasy black hair that framed a face that radiated contempt.

"Welcome, class, to another year of potions," he said slowly, his voice lacking even a hint of welcome. "Under normal circumstances I would have you begin learning new potions immediately." Several of the students groaned, no doubt reliving painful memories from previous years. "However, since we are in the presence of our _esteemed_ guest, we shall start by reviewing a potion from last term." All around him, students turned to Tetsu and smiled. Even the Slytherins nodded approvingly. The happy murmuring stopped when Snape tapped his wand to the blackboard. The board was instantly covered in a wall of complicated text that Tetsu couldn't wrap his head around.

"What?" cried the boy next to Tetsu. "Professor, that potion was on the final last year!"

"Then it should be familiar to you, Hanley," Snape replied coolly. "You have one hour. Begin." Grumbling, the students began their work. Tetsu stared at the board for a moment with a frown. He had never made a potion before, and this recipe looked exceedingly complex. How on earth was he supposed to pull this off?

"Ian," Tetsu whispered to the boy next to him. "I've never made this potion before." The blonde Irish boy nearly gasped.

"What do you mean? Didn't you learn it last year at your old school?" Tetsu shook his head.

"No, we had a different curriculum," he lied. Ian swore under his breath.

"Alright, just follow my lead then. I got an A on it last year, and I think I remember how it's made."

"So you did great on it?" Tetsu smiled. Ian raised a brow. Tetsu frowned. "Isn't an 'A' the highest grade you can get?"

"No, 'A' is for 'Acceptable.' It's kind of in the middle." Tetsu gulped.

Tetsu and Ian spent the next hour working on their potion. While nervous at first, Tetsu soon found a rhythm for himself. Potion making really wasn't all that different from cooking or mixing drinks, things at which he had become quite accomplished while working in the _Lavender Sunset_. Ian seemed glad to have a partner who was a quick study, and the two were soon conversing happily. Before they knew it, time was up.

"The book says that the potion should be dark blue with cold steam rising from it," Ian noted. The boys' potion was a light blue with lukewarm steam. It wasn't perfect, but it was much closer than the bright pink concoction on the table next to them. In fact, theirs was one of only three that in any way resembled the proper result. When Snape paused to examine their potion, Tetsu was sure that they would receive a compliment.

Instead, Snape stared at their work with narrowed eyes. After a moment, he moved on without a word. "It seems as though many of you have forgotten even the most basic of potion-making skills," he announced after checking all the potions. "You will all compose an essay on proper technique. Three scrolls, due next class." There was a collective groan from the class, but Snape paid it no mind. As the students collected their things, Snape spoke again. "Fujita, stay after class." Tetsu and Ian exchanged puzzled looks. Had he done something wrong?

As the rest of the class filed out of the dungeon, Tetsu approached Snape at his desk. The man said nothing at first, but stared at him with crossed arms. "You've never made a potion before in your life, have you, Fujita?"

"W-what do you mean, Professor? Did we make a mistake with our potion?"

"No more than would be expected with Hanley's aggressively average competence," Shape replied scornfully. "No, Fujita, I'm referring to your technique. The way you cut your ingredients; the way you arranged your instruments; the way you stir. Your performance today is one I would expect from a mildly gifted first-year, not a third-year." Snape's eyes bore into him so deeply that Tetsu could almost feel him in his mind. Then suddenly the sensation was gone, and for an instant Snape's face registered confusion. The lapse was brief, however, and soon he was scowling again. "Twenty points from Gryffindor for being so woefully unprepared. Now get out." Tetsu was all too happy to comply.

XXXXX

Kurotsuchi Mayuri growled in frustration. The more he poured over Urahara's notes, the more he questioned the former Captain's competence as a researcher. The man had clearly had contact with wizards, yet his observations were all generalizations. There were no figures, no charts, no dissertations on the specific mechanics of human magic. It was if Urahara had been content with merely describing _what_ wizards did without asking _how_ they did it. Why, there was no record of him dissecting even _one_ test subject! Clearly, the sentimental old fool had let his concern for ethics get in the way of science. That would all change, as soon as Mayuri could apprehend some wizards on which to experiment.

Capturing a live Wizard, however, had proven to be more difficult than anticipated. The first problem was that the creatures were abnormally difficult to identify. Wizards gave off no more reiatsu than a normal human, and while their signatures were unique, the differences were subtle enough to escape easy detection. Only one with the sensitivity of a Captain could even hope to distinguish between human and wizard reiatsu, and even then only if the Captain knew what to look for. That Urahara had not catalogued those differences was another point of frustration. Mayuri had had to work out the distinction through trial and error, and even his detection was not foolproof.

Secondly, wizards had proven to be quite elusive, even once positively identified. If his targets had not evaded his agents through illusion, then they had escaped by simply _vanishing_. Not even those trained in shunpo had been able to track their movements. As absurd as it was to imagine, it was as if the witches and wizards had simply disappeared into thin air.

Mayuri leaned back in his chair. Perhaps he was going about this problem in the wrong way. Perhaps chasing after adult witches and wizards was a mistake; they had had a lifetime to practice their deceptive arts, reinforced by a culture that's existence relied on going unnoticed. Their children, however, would not have this wealth of experience or any formal training. If they could somehow be led away from the protection of the adults, then they would be captured easily. True, jeuvenile subjects were less than ideal—after all, their magic may not have fully developed—but they would provide an excellent look at wizard development.

The only question was where to find a suitable supply of subjects. Children in the general wizard populace would most likely be near their parents—that is, if they could be identified from among normal children. The only places with large concentrations of wizard children were the various wizarding boarding schools. In fact, he even knew the location of one of those schools. A sneer crossed his lips as he glanced at one of the lab's many computer monitors. It showed a map of Hogwarts castle, with three blue dots representing the three undercover agents. His eyes lingered on the dot labeled "Kuchiki Byakuya," but only for a moment. Kuchiki was a potential problem, but Mayuri knew that he would not be able to interfere without risking his cover. Mayuri's sneer widened, a plan already forming in his twisted mind.


	5. Chapter 5

Bleach/Harry Potter: Crystal Vision

_Author's Note: I do not own _Bleach_ or _Harry Potter.

**Chapter 5**

Harry wasn't sure what to expect as he made his way towards the first meeting of his Eastern Magic class. While he knew that Ron and Hermione would also be taking the course, he had not had much time to talk to them; between their prefect duties and the normal chaos of the first day of school, they had been incredibly busy. The only other people he could have asked about the class were the two transfer students, but they had also been preoccupied the night before—the younger boy was visibly shaken after Potions, and Rukia had spent the rest of the day trying to console him.

There was definitely something odd about the transfer students, but he couldn't quite put his finger on it. Maybe it was the way that the pair seemed intent on being near him whenever possible. While it was a refreshing change of pace from the frightened whispers he'd been getting from everyone else, it was unusual. On the other hand, Colin Creevey had been much the same during his first year, so they might just be star struck. No, there was something else that bothered him. It was almost as if the air was heavier when they were in the room.

At last Harry arrived at the classroom and was surprised to see that it was the same room that had housed the ill-fated Dueling Club from his second year. Even more surprising was the room's new décor: the floor was covered in what appeared to be bamboo mats. In place of desks were six small tables, each with four pillows instead of chairs. Along the walls hung several large banners, each bearing strange symbols that Harry could only assume were Japanese letters. The raised dueling platform remained, though there was now a wooden target placed at one end. Near the entrance was what looked to be a series of cubbyholes; similar to the ones he'd seen in his primary school classrooms. Seeing that there were already three pairs of shoes placed there, Harry assumed that he was to remove his shoes before stepping on the mats.

Not seeing anyone else in the classroom, Harry took a seat on the nearest pillow and waited. Within moments more students arrived, led by a pair of Hufflepuffs from his year. Behind them came a pair of third-year Ravenclaws and a fourth-year Slytherin. After them came Fred and George, both of them trying to sell a trinket to a third-year Gryffindor. By now Harry was very confused. The arrival of Luna and Cho Chang did nothing to ease his confusion. By the time Ron and Hermione arrived, there room was nearly full. All told, there were twenty-two students, ranging from third- to seventh-years. Each house was represented. Joining the Golden Trio were several other Gyffindors: Ginny, Neville, Fred and George and a third year. A third-year Hufflepuff had joined with the two fifth-years. There were several students from Ravenclaw: Cho, Luna, three sixth-years and a pair of third-years. Two seventh-year boys, a fourth-year girl, and Malfoy represented Slytherin.

For a few moments the students muttered amongst themselves, all of them confused. That was when Professor Kuchiki entered the room, flanked by Rukia and Tetsunosuke. He strode to the front of the class silently, purposefully. His was a presence that commanded respect; if Rukia and Tetsunosuke made the air feel heavier, he made it absolutely leaden. Harry glanced around the room and wondered why nobody else seemed to be having difficulty breathing.

"Welcome to your first day of Kidou," Kuchiki announced, his voice even. His grey eyes scanned the room, taking in the students gathered before him. "Kidou is an ancient form of magic that has roots going back over two thousand years. As an art, it is powerful, versatile, and challenging to master. However, it is not an art that every witch or wizard can perform. Of all the children in this school, you are the select few that have the potential for Kidou." He paused momentarily, his icy stare cutting short any smirks that emerged from the Slytherins. "Be forewarned: I make no guarantees. By the end of this term, you may be able to perform basic spells. It is equally likely that you will not. But even if none of you ever successfully casts a Kidou spell this term, you will have learned skills that will benefit you in your traditional magic. That is, _if_ you put in the effort. And believe me when I say that I _will _be able to tell." With those final words, something flashed in Professor Kuchiki's eyes, and Harry knew at once that he spoke the truth. There would be no faking like he had done in Divination.

"Kidou can be broken down into three disciplines," the professor continued. To Harry's left, a hand shot up. Harry didn't even need to look to know that it belonged to Hermione. Professor Kuchiki paused, seemingly surprised by her boldness. He gave her a slight nod of acknowledgement.

"The three disciplines are Hadou, Bakudou, and healing Kidou," she stated matter-of-factly. "Hadou, or 'Way of Destruction,' is a collection of offensive spells. Bakudou, or 'Way of Binding,' is made up of defensive and utility spells. Healing Kidou are used to help one recover from injuries." Hermione smiled proudly. Kuchiki's expression remained neutral.

"Taken nearly verbatim from the introduction to your textbook," he replied, his voice giving no indication that he was impressed. Hermione was clearly taken aback by his cold response. "Miss Granger is correct. The three disciplines of Kidou mirror Western magic in many regards. There is, however, a key difference." Again, Hermione's hand shot up. Kuchiki raised a brow as he nodded to her.

"Kidou is performed without a wand." Harry stared at her in disbelief. He was clearly not alone, as all of the students began whispering to each other.

"That's impossible!"

All eyes turned to the Slytherin group. Malfoy was tensed on his pillow, as if he were debating whether or not to stand up. "You can't cast spells without a wand," he continued, his voice defiant. "It's impossible!" The blonde Slytherin glanced at his housemates for support clearly accustomed to having Crabbe and Goyle there to back him up.

Professor Kuchiki stared at Malfoy silently, his face still without expression. Finally he spoke: "Impossible, you say?" Malfoy nodded. "Rukia," Kuchiki continued without looking at his younger sister. "A demonstration, if you will?"

"Yes, Nii-sama," she replied with a bow. With impressive ease, the transfer student leaped backwards onto the dueling platform, landing on the far side of the target. She paused, and then pointed a single finger at the target. "Hadou 4: Byakurai!" There was a collective gasp as a bolt of blue lightning erupted from her finger, completely obliterating the wooden target.

Throughout the demonstration, Professor Kuchiki remained stoic, even as the shockwave from the explosion blew a lock of his black hair over his eyes. While his students sat with mouths agape, he casually brushed the hair back with his left hand. "Does anyone else still harbor any doubts?" When he was greeted by stunned silence, he continued: "No? Good." At this point, Tetsunosuke wheeled in a large blackboard. Professor Kuchki came over to the board and flipped the blank side over, revealing a series of diagrams.

"The key to Kidou is mastering your body's spiritual energy, or reiatsu. Traditional magic uses this same energy in conjunction with a wand," he said, pointing to a drawing of what appeared to be a teddy bear holding a wand. "The wand, with its magical core, acts as a focus, providing for channeling and fine manipulation of the body's natural energy. Kidou forgoes this assistance and instead uses the body itself as the focus." He pointed to the second diagram; a crude drawing of a bunny surrounded by a fiery aura that Harry guessed was supposed to represent reiatsu. "By doing so, Kidou practitioners trade subtlety and precision for raw output."

The professor moved on to the next series of diagrams, made up of what Harry guessed were dogs or cats. "Performing a kidou spell is a two-step process. First you must concentrate, building your energy. While doing so, you must also speak the spell's incantation."

Neville raised his hand. "But Professor, Rukia didn't use an incantation just now."

"That is because skilled Kidou users are able to use a technique called Eishohaki to skip the spirit chant of a spell that they have mastered. This decreases the time needed to cast the spell, but also diminishes its power. Byakurai, being one of the most basic of Hadou spells, is among the first spells that students master."

"You mean that she just used a _weak_ version of that spell?" Neville asked, his face pale.

"Precisely. Now, are there any other questions?"

"Yeah, why do the drawings look like a preschooler drew them?" Malfoy asked snidely. An instant later a piece of chalk hit him square in the forehead. Up at the front of the class Rukia stood scowling, an eraser clutched in her hand.

"In this class we do not tolerate insults. _Or _violent outbursts," Professor Kuchiki stated calmly, as if nothing had happened. "Five points from Slytherin and Gryffindor."

To Harry's disappointment, the remainder of the class period was far less interesting than the first few minutes; the first lesson consisted of several breathing exercises that were supposed to help them concentrate and focus their energy. It was all rather silly, Harry thought, but by the end of the class he had to admit that they did help him relax. Thankfully, their only homework was to continue practicing their breathing, which he would hopefully be able to do during his upcoming detentions with Dolores Umbridge.

XXXXX

Harry was in a foul mood as he stalked into the Kidou classroom. The previous week's detentions had been brutal, and he was almost positive that the Blood Quill would leave permanent scars. After another outburst in Umbridge's pathetic excuse for a class, he was now looking at yet another week etching "I must not tell lies" into his skin. To top off what was quickly becoming a nightmare, Umbridge had just been appointed Hogwarts High Inquisitor, giving her the power to inspect her fellow teachers. A wave of disgust washed over Harry as he spotted Umbridge; clearly she was here to inspect Professor Kuchiki. The only upside to spending another class period in the vile woman's presence was the thought of how Professor Kuchiki would react—the elder Kuchiki had already garnered a reputation for being the strictest disciplinarian in the school, and even the smallest breach of school rules was grounds for loss of points. Harry highly doubted that the man would put up with Umbridge for long.

"Quiet down," Professor Kuchiki said as he strode into the room, Rukia and Tetsu at his side. He made his way to the center of the room without sparing Umbridge a passing glance. "Today we will be continuing our work on proper breathing and focusing techniques. After some warm-up exercises, we will practice focusing our energy from our core to our hands."

"_Hem hem._"

"The ability to direct energy into your hands is the basis of all Kidou casting," Professor Kuchiki continued as if he had not heard Umbridge. "After I demonstrate the technique, you shall break off into pairs and practice. Rukia, Tetsunosuke and I will assist you as necessary."

"_Hem hem._"

"Can I help you, Professor Umbridge?" Kuchiki asked coolly.

"Oh excuse me," she replied, that horrible toad-like smile upon her face. "I was simply wondering if you had received my notice regarding your inspection today."

"I'm afraid that I am not yet familiar with the specifics of English teaching traditions," he replied. "Is it customary during an inspection to ask questions to which you already know the answer?"

"I beg your pardon?" Umbridge asked in her false-sweet voice. Harry did his best to hide his glee as the edges of her grin began to wilt.

"If I had not received your notice, I would have removed you from my classroom." The smile vanished fully from Umbridge's face as she began furiously taking notes with her quill. It was several minutes into the lesson before she spoke again.

"Excuse me, Professor Kuchiki, but I had a few questions about the subject matter," she said, her voice falsely sweet once again. "After perusing the textbook, I couldn't help notice that one of the branches of study is known as the _'Way of Destruction.'_ Now, far be it for me to question your methods, but do you really think that such spells are really appropriate for children to learn, hm?"

Before Professor Kuchiki could answer, Hermione's hand shot up. Kuchiki nodded to her. "The offensive spells really aren't that different from the kind of spells we would _normally_ learn in Defense Against the Dark Arts," she said, her voice dripping with sarcasm when she mentioned Umbridge's subject. "And honestly," she continued, "the 'Way of Destruction' title is something of a misnomer. It would be more accurate to describe it as a way of releasing energy, much like Bakudou spells restrain or redirect an opponent's energy."

_"My question was not directed at you,"_ Umbridge nearly spat. "Ten points from Gryffindor." Professor Kuchiki stared at Hermione for a moment, his face unreadable.

"At the Seireitei Academy, we teach our students that knowledge is worthless unless one is able to put that knowledge to use with critical thinking," he said after a pause. "Being able to analyze what you have learned and think critically is an invaluable skill both in Kidou and in your normal lessons. You students would do well to learn from Miss Granger's example. Twenty points to Gryffindor."

The entire class looked on in disbelief—this was the first time that Professor Kuchiki had ever given out points. Umbridge fumed, but seemed unwilling to come out vocally against critical thinking. She quickly regained her composure, however, and decided on a new tactic.

"I'm afraid I still have many concerns, Professor. For instance, I fail to see how your subject has any, well, _practical applications_." Professor Kuchiki stopped. He turned to her slowly, his eyes narrowed in a frightening glare.

"Practical applications?" he repeated. His voice remained calm, but there was an edge to it that made Harry very nervous. As he spoke, the air in the room grew heavier, as if the dreadful foreboding in his voice were taking physical form. Strangely, the only other ones who seemed to notice this startling change were Tetsu and Rukia, both of who had broken out in a cold sweat.

The class remained silent as Professor Kuchiki raised a single hand, pointing his open palm in Umbridge's direction. The two third-year Ravenclaws who had been practicing between the two teachers scurried out of the way. Umbridge's face paled as Professor Kuchiki's hand began to glow with red energy.

"Hadou 31: Shakkahou."

Umbridge screamed, covering here eyes with her notepad and blindly reaching for her wand with her free hand. For a moment, the room was silent save for her panicked breathing. Then there was a snicker, followed by another. Soon several students, most of them Gryffindors, were stifling laughter. At last Umbridge opened her eyes and saw why: Professor Kuchiki was standing in front of her, calmly, holding a small ball of fire in his hands.

"Shakkahou was originally intended for use against strong opponents that are resistant to weaker forms of magic. However, by binding the energy before it is released, we create a harmless ball of flame. This fire can be used as a source of heat in cold weather, a means of lighting a campfire, or a s a light source if _lumos_ is insufficient."

With a wave of his hand, the flame vanished. Umbridge looked appalled, but the students looked on with a mixture of awe, fear, and respect. Clearly this term would prove to be interesting to say the least.

XXXXX

_Author's Note:_

_ Sorry for the long delay, everyone. The last couple months have been pretty busy, with lots of traveling and such. I also found myself with a minor case of writer's block regarding this chapter. I had an idea of what I wanted to do for Byakuya's first lesson, but wasn't quite sure how to execute it. Part of this may have been from my desire to tell the chapter from Harry's point of view, and I'm not sure how successful that turned out._

_ I know you guys were probably expecting a longer chapter considering the delay between chapters, but I think I bit off a bit more than I could chew, as I had originally planned to include Mayuri's plot here as well. However, I felt that that particular incident deserved its own chapter, rather than making a super-long chapter 5 or leaving on a massive cliffhanger. Don't worry, though, Mayuri's coming, and things are going to get a little heated at Hogwarts!_

_ On a final note, I'd like to conduct a little survey/poll. I had an idea for a little omake scene involving Rukia's revenge on Ichigo, Renji, and Urahara. However, I wasn't sure how to work it into the larger story without drastically changing the mood at the end of the last chapter. So, my question to you, dear readers, is twofold: 1) would any of you be interested in some _"Shinigami Cup: Magic!" _silliness and 2) would you prefer it to be at the end of normal chapters or as separate mini-chapters? _


	6. Chapter 6

Bleach/Harry Potter: Crystal Vision

_Author's Note: I do not own _Bleach_ or _Harry Potter.

_Sorry for the extremely long delay. I've had a lot of personal issues to sort out, including my sister's wedding and my mom having to go to the hospital. Don't worry; Mom's feeling a log better. To make up for the delay, this chapter is pretty long, and it also includes the debut of _Shinigami Cup: Magic!_ Enjoy! And please, please review!_

Chapter 6

Harry was not in a particularly good mood as he and Ron made their way into the Great Hall for lunch. It was the second Saturday of the term, and already he felt as if his brain were about to melt. There was just so much going on in his life right now that he could hardly focus. The sheer soul-crushing amount of homework for his O.W.L. classes was bad enough without also having to worry about Quidditch and the upcoming game against Slytherin. Then there was Dolores Umbridge, who had made it her mission to make the last two weeks of his life a living Hell. To top off everything, he was still haunted by strange dreams of wandering corridors and a great black door.

It was entirely possible that Harry would have broken down already if not for the breathing training that Professor Kuchiki had been having his students practice. Yet as calming as the training was, the presence of the new teacher and his family were also troubling his mind. The strange sensation he felt when they were in the room, as if the air itself were getting heavier had grown more and more pronounced as the days had gone by. Every moment he spent in their company, the more aware of the sensation he became. He had tried to explain it to Ron and Hermione after their last Kidou class, but they hadn't believed him.

"I'm sure you're just imagining it, Harry," Hermione had told him calmly.

"She's right, mate," Ron concurred. "I mean, if the air was getting heavier, I'm sure someone else would have noticed."

"Maybe you're coming down with something," Hermione added thoughtfully. "I've read that there are some infections that can throw off balance and such. Maybe you should talk with Madame Pomfry?"

"I'm not sick! I really did feel it," Harry growled in annoyance.

"He's right, you know," came a dreamy voice from behind them. The Golden Trio turned to find Luna walking behind them. "I felt it too."

Needless to say, Luna's endorsement did little to change Ron and Hermione's minds. Harry had tried again to convince them over the next few days, and had once again found himself rebuked right before lunch.

"Maybe it's something to do with your scar," Ron offered as he grabbed a sandwich. Harry shook his head.

"No, it's not that. If it were something to do with Voldemort—oh would you stop whimpering! —it would have given me a headache."

"I don't know what to tell you, then, Harry," Ron sighed. "Do you think it's a side effect of kidou? Like maybe you're more sensitive to that reiatsu stuff?"

"Could be," Harry replied, somewhat unsure.

"You could always ask Rukia or Professor Kuchiki," Ron added.

"Yeah, that's a great idea," Harry scoffed. "What am I supposed to say? 'Hey Rukia, can you tell me why it's hard to breathe when I'm around you and your family?' I'm sure that conversation would go just great." Ron had no answer to that, and the two ate in silence for several minutes. Halfway through the lunch hour, a very flustered Hermione entered the hall. She glanced around frantically before catching sight of Harry and Ron. Harry frowned at the look of near panic in her eyes as she rushed over to their table.

"There you are, Ron!" she nearly shouted. "Where have you been?" she asked pointedly, her voice lowering to an exasperated whisper as she approached.

"I've been eating," he replied defensively. "That is still legal, isn't it? Where have you been?"

"I was at the emergency prefects meeting in McGonagall's office, along with all the _other_ prefects!"

"Emergency meeting?" Ron repeated, concerned. "What's going on?"

"We have a situation," Hermione explained in a worried tone. "The first years have gone missing."

"Missing?" Harry repeated.

"It's probably no big deal," Ron interjected. "They probably just got turned around on the staircases. I told you that Gryffindor got a thick batch this year."

"You don't get it, Ron," Hermione snapped. "It's not just the Gryffindor first years. It's _all _of them."

"All of them?" Harry asked in disbelief. "You're sure?" Hermione nodded.

"McGonagall is pretty sure that they'll turn up, but she's having Filch and the prefects search the castle just to be sure. She looked really worried." From the sound of her voice, Harry could tell that Hermione was worried too.

"I'll help you guys look," Harry offered. Hermione shot him a grateful smile.

"Did you think about checking the grounds?" asked a fourth voice. The golden trio turned to see Rukia sitting on the bench next to them. "It's a nice day outside, so they might have decided to go for a swim."

"Didn't anyone ever tell you not to eavesdrop?" Ron scowled at the transfer student. Rukia shot him a deadpan expression.

"Eavesdrop nothing; the three of you weren't exactly whispering over there."

"She has a point," said Hermione. "We should look around outside. Between Filch and the other prefects, the castle should be covered." She turned to Rukia. "Would you mind helping us, Rukia?"

"Sure," she replied with a nod. "We'll cover more ground if there's four of us."

The four students made their way outside into a bright and glorious day. The air was warm for this time of year, and there were hardly any clouds to obscure the sun. There was a light breeze coming from by the lake, bringing with it the scent of water and sound of scattered voices. Oddly, there were only a few children out and about, the nearest being a familiar boy sitting alone under a large tree.

That Tetsunosuke was on his own was stranger still, as Harry had never seen him outside of Rukia or Professor Kuchiki's presence. The boy had a wicker basket, and was in the process of unpacking its contents onto a large blanket. He had already set up a small plate, as well as what appeared to be a picture frame. Tetsunosuke had just taken out a very fancy-looking teapot when he noticed the approaching teens. With an anxious frown, the boy stood to greet them.

"Good afternoon," he said with a quick bow.

"Sorry to interrupt your picnic, but we were wondering if you had seen any first-years wandering outside today," Hermione replied.

"Yes, I have. There was a group that left the castle just a few minutes ago."

"Did you see where they went?" Hermione asked, a hint of relief flowing into her voice.

"Not really," the boy replied, his eyes falling to his feet. "I was sort of focused on something else." The one blue eye that was not covered by his bangs glanced down at the half-finished picnic.

"Are you sure you didn't see them?" Hermione asked, pleading. When the boy didn't answer, Rukia spoke up.

"This is important, Tetsu." The boy shifted his weight nervously for a moment, before nodding. Turning, he pointed out in the direction of the Forbidden Forest. The Golden Trio let out a collective groan.

"Bloody Hell," Ron swore. "Why is it always that damned forest?"

"Whatever the reason, we have to get them out of there before they get hurt," Harry replied.

"We should really get some help," said Hermione. "Where's Hagrid?" Harry looked at the Groundskeeper's house, but saw no indication that the massive teacher was home.

"Probably off trying to tame some horribly dangerous animal to show off, no doubt," Ron noted sourly.

"We'll just have to go in without him, then," Harry said, his jaw set firmly. "Rukia, you and Tetsu go back to the castle and find Professor Dumbledore." Rukia flashed him a shocked look.

"What? There's no way I'm going to let you three go in there alone! We're coming with you, baka!" Harry wasn't sure what that last word meant, but he was pretty sure it was an insult. While Rukia was clearly eager to help, Tetsu didn't seem quite as excited. The boy tugged on her sleeve, and the two proceeded to have a conversation in whispered Japanese. Harry couldn't understand them, but he was fairly sure he could guess the gist of the argument; Tetsu was upset at having to leave his picnic, but Rukia was having none of his objections. Finally the boy relented, but Harry couldn't help but notice the uncharacteristically hostile glare Tetsu shot them as he put his things away.

At last the four children were at the edge of the Forbidden Forest. Harry couldn't help but swallow nervously as he stared into its dark depths. Though this was hardly his first excursion into those woods, he knew quite well how dangerous they could be. Just thinking about his encounter with Aragog made his skin crawl. But that was all the more reason to keep going; Harry had seen the dangers of the forest enough times to know that those first years were in over their heads.

Taking the lead, Harry strode into the shade of the trees—and was immediately struck with a sense of dread. The air within the forest was unmistakably heavy, as if weighed down by a nearly unbearable pressure. It was the same sensation he felt in Professor Kuchiki's presence, only some how more raw and unfiltered.

"Does anyone else feel that?" he asked. Of course they could feel it, he reasoned. How could they _not_? To his dismay, Ron and Hermione were looking at him like he had grown a second head. "Don't look at me like I'm crazy," Harry snarled. "You'd have to be thick not to notice that the air got heavier just now!"

"We're not stupid, Harry," Hermione snapped.

"Maybe it is a bit heavier, but that's just the forest, right?" Ron reasoned. To Harry's surprise, it was Rukia that jumped to his defense.

"Harry's right, the air is heavier." Though her expression was firm, some of the color had drained from her face. "We should go back and get my brother." Now it was Harry's turn to stare.

"What? We can't just turn back now! What's going on here?" he demanded. Harry felt a familiar anger rising within him. "What aren't you telling us?"

"I'm not hiding anything, baka," Rukia growled. "The sensation you're feeling is a reaction to reiatsu. One of the benefits of learning kidou is that you can feel the presence of others in the form of air pressure. If someone or something in those woods is giving off enough reiatsu for a novice like _you_ to feel it, then it's probably too much for you guys to handle on your own."

"Who says I can't handle it?" Harry snarled. "Besides, if there is someone dangerous in there, that means that those first years are in a lot of trouble. And in case you haven't noticed, your brother isn't here! While we're off fetching him, who knows what will happen to those kids! We don't have that kind of time."

"Harry…" Hermione started, but her voice faded under his stare.

"Fine," he nearly shouted. "If you want to go back, you can. But _I'm_ going to try and save those kids.

"Not on your own, you're not," Ron said, moving to stand at Harry's side. Both boys turned to Hermione.

"You realize that you're both insane, right?" she sighed before joining them.

"You're too much like Ichigo for your own good," Rukia mused, pinching the bridge of her nose. She turned to Tetsu, who had not spoken since reaching the tree line. If the others looked nervous, he looked to be on the edge of panic. The older exchange student flashed him a reassuring smile. "Go find my brother," she said, putting a calming hand on his shoulder. The younger boy nodded quickly and immediately made a beeline for the castle as fast as his legs could carry him.

XXXXX

Harry wasn't sure what was more unsettling: the forest's growing darkness or its deathly quiet. He knew that the woods got darker the deeper one ventured, but there was always at least some noise. Birds singing, leaves rustling, limbs creaking in the wind—_something _would make a sound. But not now; the deeper they went, the closer they got to the source of the strange pressure, the more silent it became. It was as if the forest itself was afraid to make a sound, lest it draw the attention of this unknown force.

After what seemed like hours, the four students heard the sound of voices drifting through the trees. Crouching low, Harry poked his head from behind a massive tree. Below him was a small, low-lying clearing. Gathered in the clearing were the missing first years, all of them standing ramrod-straight in what could only be described as a marching formation. The children stared blankly head at perhaps the strangest thing that Harry had ever seen.

On the ground in front of the first years was a…something. Harry honestly had no idea what to make of the strange object. The bulk of the thing was made of a rectangular box the size of a filing cabinet. Strewn about the front were a series of dials, screens and blinking multicolored lights. Atop this box was what appeared to be a large tuning fork that was easily three feet tall. The base of the fork was wrapped in what Harry hoped were merely cables; their fleshy consistency and rhythmic pulsing, however, suggested otherwise.

There were two figures tending to the strange device. The first was a girl in short black robes that appeared to be in her late teens. Her features were pretty, yet subdued. In fact, Harry likely would not have noticed her at all had the simplicity of her outfit not stood in such stark contrast to her companion.

The man (Harry was fairly sure that it was a man, anyway) was dressed so strangely that it defied comprehension. His face was covered in black and white makeup that gave the impression of an insane clown or mime. Atop his head was a bizarre hat jutted out to one side for over a foot. Around his neck was a strange, puffy scarf made out of purple cloth. Over his long black robes was a white overcoat that matched the sash at his waist. Dangling prominently from that sash was a long sword, though Harry couldn't understand why anyone would wear a sword over his or her crotch. Turning to the gathered children, the man spoke in a voice that dripped with perverse glee.

"Well, my little subjects, it appears as though my device functions exactly as I predicted it would." The man's lips curled into a sneer as he spoke, a look Harry guessed he wore far too often. He paced in front of them, occasionally pulling a child's face in for a closer inspection. "Yes, this particular subsonic frequency has made them quite pliable, wouldn't you agree Nemu?"

"Yes, Mayuri-sama," the woman nodded, her voice devoid of emotion. Beside her, the man straightened, his gilded chin in his hand.

"I must say that I am somewhat disappointed. I had hoped that the frequency would affect a larger age group. This sample is far too narrow to properly assess wizard development." He paused for a moment, thinking. After a beat, his yellow eyes lit up with manic glee. "Perhaps our problem lies not with the signal's frequency, but with its intensity. Doubling the signal strength should have the desired effect."

"B-but Mayuri-sama," the woman stammered. "At this range, that could kill the subjects we've already collected." The man's twisted grin only grew.

"Excellent! The more data we gather, the better." The man reached into his robes, producing a remote control of some fashion.

_"Expelliarmus!"_ The spell flew from Harry's wand before he even realized that he'd emerged from behind the tree. The remote flew from Mayuri's hand, and the man stared after it, slightly nonplussed. He turned to Harry and the others slowly, taking them in with an arched brow.

"I see that you can see us. Most interesting," he chuckled, a sound that made Harry's skin crawl. "I suppose that boosting the signal strength is unnecessary. Yes, you will do splendidly"

"I don't know what's going on here, but you better turn that thing off and let these kids go," Harry warned, thrusting his wand forward for added emphasis. The man blinked, then burst into laughter.

"Amusing," he said, finally composing himself. He looked them over again, clearly unimpressed. "While you are not the interference I anticipated, your arrival is hardly unexpected. _Nemu!_"

Upon hearing her name, the young woman sprung into action. She dashed forward with uncanny speed, easily vaulting over the Golden Trio. Landing behind the group, she lashed out with a vicious kick—to Rukia. The force of the strike sent Rukia flying, but the exchange student quickly rolled through and was back on her feet. Nemu, however, refused to give Rukia time to recover, and soon the pair were exchanging blows in an intricate dance of punches and kicks.

With his companion occupied with Rukia, Mayuri seemed to lose interest in the remaining teenagers. "Call her off!" Harry shouted, pointing his wand at the strange man's chest. "I'm warning you." The strange man let out a sickening laugh.

"_You?_ Warning _me?_ Foolish boy, do you honestly think that you have enough power in your little twigs to _possibly_ harm someone like-"

"_STUPEFY!"_ Harry shouted. A jet of red light leaped from his wand, striking Mayuri in the chest. The man howled in pain as he was lifted from his feet and flung back several yards by the impact. Behind him, Harry heard Nemu call out her companion's name. In an instant she was at his side, cradling his head.

"Mayuri-sama! Are you hurt?" Amazingly, the man had the strength to reply.

"Nemu…" he said, his voice a hoarse whisper.

"Yes, Mayuri-sama?" She gazed into his eyes, but his reply came in the form of a vicious backhand to the face.

"_At what point did I say that I needed your help?"_ he shouted, rising to his feet as if nothing had happened. Cowed by his rage, Nemu could only offer a mumbled apology. Turning to the shocked teens, he leveled them with a frightening glare. "I must admit that little trick packed more of a punch than I had anticipated. It won't happen again." His right hand came to rest obscenely on the hilt of his sword. "It's a shame, really. I was hoping to take you alive. Dissections are always so much more fun when the subject can still struggle," he added, that terrifying grin plastered all over his face. "I suppose I'll just have to settle for cadavers."

Harry raised his wand, but Rukia had jumped in front of them. "Hadou 33: Soukatsui!" A wave of blue fire erupted from her outstretched hand, tossing up a massive cloud of dust as it struck home.

"Bloody Hell," Ron muttered, his voice equal parts fear and awe. Rukia, however, paid him no mind; she was focused on the cloud of dust, waiting for any movement. "There's no way he could have survived that," Ron continued, but the exchange student's eyes still locked on where Mayuri had been. It was good that she did.

"Children," came a familiar, evil voice from the settling cloud. "They always think they know everything," Mayuri sneered as he came into view. One hand was still firmly on his sword, but the other was held in front of him. It was slightly singed, and much of his sleeve was gone, but otherwise there was no indication that he had just blocked Rukia's attack with his bare hand. "Honestly, little girl, trying a chant-less 30's spell in a _gigai_?" he asked in mocking tone. "What kind of weakling do you take me for?"

Harry's mind was racing. What could the four of them possibly do now? The man had shrugged off a stunning spell, and had even stopped Rukia's blast as though it were nothing. What kind of monster was he? Now the boy's eyes were glued to Mayuri's weapon as it slowly whispered from its sheath. Harry tensed and readied his wand as Ron and Hermione did the same. Rukia's hand shot into her own robes and produced a…candy dispenser? Before Harry could ponder what the exchange student was thinking, his mind was drawn to the fact that Mayuri had stopped moving. The man stood there in mid-draw, his eyes having suddenly gone wide. Cursing under his breath, the bizarre man's eyes drifted up into the trees.

Perched on an overhanging branch was a second man, this one dressed strikingly similarly to Mayuri. Both shared black robes and a white overcoat, but the new arrival had a radically different style. Namely, he wore a second overcoat, a sickeningly pink floral affair that seemed far too close to Umbridge's cardigan for Harry's taste. The man was seated, leaning nonchalantly against the massive tree trunk. One would almost think that he was asleep if not for the hand resting on the pair of swords at his waist.

"Kyouraku," Mayuri spat out the name. "What are you doing here?" The newcomer, seemingly ignoring the hostility in Mayuri's voice, merely chuckled.

"Actually, I was about to ask you the same question, Kurotsuchi-taichou," he replied, tipping his straw hat and finally revealing his face. To Harry's eyes he looked to be in his mid forties, his easy grin framed by a layer of stubble. Vaulting from the branch, he landed deftly between Harry's group and their opponent. "If I recall correctly," he continued, his eyes never leaving Mayuri, "Yama-jii told you that this place was strictly off-limits." Mayuri said nothing, but continued to stare daggers at Kyouraku.

The newcomer let out an exasperated sigh. "Look, there's no reason for things to get out of hand. How about you come quietly and let these kids get on with their lives?" Mayuri said nothing for a moment, seemingly mulling his options. The moment passed quickly, and soon his painted face was covered in that horrible sneer.

"You want me to 'come quietly?'" he asked in a mocking tone. "Surely you jest. You're bluffing, Kyouraku. While there is certainly a slim possibility that you could defeat me, there is no way you would fight at full strength—not with so many _innocent_ children nearby to get caught in the crossfire."

"I thought you might say something like that," Kyouraku replied, clearly unfazed by Mayuri's threat. "So I thought I'd bring along someone else to persuade you."

"Who-" Mayuri started, only for the answer to land behind him with authority. Towering above the painted man was easily the second-most intimidating man Harry had ever seen. At six feet, seven inches before his incredibly spiky hair, he was one of the tallest people he had ever encountered. Bearing an eye patch over his right eye, the man's scarred left eye burned with an unmistakable bloodlust. His sword, its edge broken and jagged, rested on one shoulder.

"Hey there, Poindexter," he sneered, his toothy grin somehow even more malicious than Mayuri's. The painted man swallowed hard as he turned to face the new arrival, and for the first time Harry saw genuine fear in his yellow eyes. The fear was short lived, and Mayuri's features were soon a neutral mask.

"Very well," he said nonchalantly. "Come, Nemu. We're leaving." The girl nodded as she stood. The pair turned and vanished in a blur of motion. The scarred man, clearly disappointed at the peaceful resolution, vanished as well.

With the others gone, Kyouraku turned to the very confused teens and flashed them a smile. "Sorry about that. It won't happen again, I promise." Harry's mind was full of questions, but the man had already walked away. Coming up to the strange machine, he silently drew the larger of his two swords. With a single strike, the device split in half before evaporating before their eyes. Facing the teens again, Kyouraku flashed a roguish smile. "Ja ne."* With that, he vanished in a blur of motion.

Harry stared after the man, dumbfounded. Who was he? And what exactly had happened? He was dragged from these thoughts by the sounds of the stirring first years. With the machine destroyed, they were slowly beginning to come back to their senses. "Why are we in a forest?" asked a very perplexed Hufflepuff boy.

* "Later."

XXXXX

Several minutes later, the four teens emerged from the Forbidden Forest, the gaggle of frightened first years in tow. Tetsu was there waiting, along with professors Dumbledore, Kuchiki, Snape, McGonagall and (much to Harry's annoyance) Umbridge. McGonagall was quick to usher the younger children to the castle, relief written all over her face. Harry and the others made to follow them, but Snape motioned for them to stay.

"What happened in there, Potter?" he asked with crossed arms. Harry did his best to describe what had happened, but Snape was not amused. "Do you honestly expect us to believe that, Potter?"

"But it's true, Professor," Rukia chimed in. Snape fixed her with a dismissive glare.

"It seems that your propensity for tall tales has begun to rub off on your new friend," Snape scoffed.

"Are you calling my sister a liar," Professor Kuchiki asked. Though his expression was neutral, his voice carried an icy menace. The two dark-haired teachers stared at each other, and Harry couldn't decide whose gaze would falter first. It was a question that would not be answered this day, as Dumbledore chose to speak.

"I am sure that Ms. Kuchiki and Mr. Potter are telling the truth, Severus," his voice was calm, bored even. "Nevertheless, this situation does merit further investigation. But not today," he added as Umbridge strode forth eagerly, notebook and quill in hand. "These children have had a long day, and I'm sure that they would like a chance to rest."

Neither Umbridge nor Snape seemed to want to argue the point, and they followed Dumbledore back to the castle. Umbridge, however, shot Harry a glance that indicated that the issue was far from settled. After a quick conversation in Japanese, Professor Kuchiki led his family after the other teachers, leaving the Golden Trio to bring up the rear.

"Crazy day, eh?" Ron joked.

"Too right," Harry nodded. When Hermione said nothing, both boys turned to find a very serious look on her face. "What's wrong?"

"She knew them," she replied in a hushed tone.

"What?"

"Rukia," she explained. "She knew those people in the woods. She had to. Why else do you think she was so eager to go back and get help?"

"She probably just sensed how strong that clown guy was," Ron reasoned.

"It's not just that, though. Remember when he sent that girl to attack us? She went straight for Rukia."

"That is kinda weird," Ron admitted. "Why go after the one who never pulled her wand?"

"You wouldn't, not unless you knew that they didn't need one to cast spells," she continued, on a roll now. "And another thing: did you see what was on the back of their overcoats?" Harry thought back.

"There was a symbol," he replied. "A diamond with some other markings inside it."

"And where have we seen that symbol before?" Harry and Ron shrugged in unison. "On Professor Kuchiki's tie! It can't be a coincidence!" Something in the back of Harry's mind clicked.

"You're right, he does have that diamond symbol on his tie. Only he has a different Japanese letter in it."

"That's not a letter, Harry; it's a number."

"A number?"

"Exactly. The big person had the number eleven on his back, while the one with the makeup had a twelve. I'd be willing to bet that the other one had a number on his back too, we just couldn't see it when it was covered by that pink kimono."

"What number does Professor Kuchiki wear?" Ron asked.

"A number six," she stated matter of factly. There was a naked pause as Harry and Ron took in the information.

"What does it mean?" Ron asked nervously.

"I'm not sure," she admitted. "But there's something going on here, and those three are part of it."

XXXXX

_Shinigami Cup: Magic!_

Urahara Kisuke was, in a word, bored. Normally, his little candy shop was always buzzing with activity. Sometimes it was full of customers, but more often it was a meeting place for Ichigo and his friends when they needed information or a way to contact Soul Society. Hardly a day went by without Ichigo or someone from the Soul Society darkening his doorstep. But not today. Today there were no massive Hollow attacks, nor was there any kind of imminent threat about to befall the universe.

In other words, it was a boring day. Even Ururu and Jinta, the children who worked for him, were actually doing their jobs for a change. If something exiting didn't happen soon, Urahara was sure that he would go insane.

"Oi! Urahara-san!" came a familiar voice from the front door. Urahara smiled to himself. If Ichigo was here, that meant something was afoot.

"Come on in, Ichigo! And Renji too," he added when he saw the tattooed man enter beside Ichigo. "To what do I owe the pleasure?"

Renji and Ichigo shot him annoyed looks. "How should we know?" Renji asked. "You were the one that wanted to see _us_."

"Beg pardon?" Urahara asked from behind his paper fan.

"Don't get cute," Renji replied angrily. "Yesterday I got a Hell Butterfly from Kuchiki-taichou saying that you had information for me and Ichigo."

"So what's going on, Urahara-san? Is Aizen making his move?" Ichigo asked, his face serious.

"I honestly don't know what you're talking about," Urahara admitted. "There must be some kind of mistake."

As if on cue, there was a light tapping from one of the windows. Rising to investigate, Urahara found a large Great Horned Owl panting on the windowsill. He opened the window and the bird fluttered over to the small table where Ichigo and Renji were waiting.

"An owl?" Ichigo asked, confused. "Isn't that how you had me send that letter to Rukia? Oh hey, she sent us a letter! Just like the one we sent her!"

Urahara's blood ran cold. "_Exactly_ like the one we sent her?"

"Yeah, it's in a red envelope and everything."

"Well then, I'll just let you read that in private," the former 12th Division captain laughed nervously as he inched towards the exit.

"But it's addressed to you to," Ichigo noted. Urahara froze. If his name was on the letter, then there was no point in trying to escape. All he could do was brace himself as Ichigo broke the seal.

"_**ICHIGO YOU IDIOT!"**_ the letter shouted in Rukia's voice. Both Ichigo and Renji had fallen back in surprise. _**"This is what your stupid letter did when I opened it, dumbass! The entire school heard it! You're just lucky that nobody here speaks Japanese, or else you would have completely blown our cover!"**_

The envelope wheeled on Renji next. _**"And as for YOU, Renji, how dare you fill Tetsu's head with lies? Thanks to you, he thinks that Ichigo and I are DATING! And now so does half the school! What other things have you been saying behind my back, you Pineapple-headed doofus?"**_

Finally, the letter turned to Urahara, and he could have sworn that the thing flashed him a wicked sneer. _**"P.S.: If you're wondering why you're getting this letter, it's because URAHARA convinced Ichigo to send a Howler instead of a post card. Have fun with that."**_

Even as the letter was tearing itself to shreds, the two young shinigami were staring daggers at Urahara. "Uh, there wouldn't be any way to settle this peacefully, would there?" he asked as they advanced, pounding their fists in anticipation. Suddenly, a boring day didn't seem quite so bad.


End file.
